5H  7 

,S& 


Repairing. 

' 

By  n.  B.  Sherwood 


"A\  :<■- 

A 


PRICE,  35  CENTS. 


PRACTICAL  BOOKS 

....  FOR  .... 

Watchmakers  am  Jewelers. 

FOR  SALE  BY 


QEO.  K.  HdZLITT  fir  C2„ 

91  PLYMOUTH  PLACE,  CHICAGO. 


Staff  Making  and  Pivoting.  Practical  directions  for  making  new  staffs 
from  raw  material.  By  Eugene  E.  Hall.  Chapter  I.  The  raw  material; 
the  gravers;  the  roughing  out;  the  hardening  and  tempering.  Chapter 
II.  Kinds  of  pivots;  their  shape;  capillarity;  the  requirements  of  a 
good  pivot.  Chapter  III  The  proper  measurements  and  how 
obtained.  Chapter  IV.  The  gauging  of  holes;  the  side  shake;  the 
position  of  the  graver.  Chapter  V.  The  grinding  and  polishing;  the 
reversal  of  the  work;  the  wax  chuck.  Chapter  VI.  Another  wax 
chuck;  the  centering  of  the  work.  Chapter  VII.  The  finishing  of  the 
staff;  pivoting;  making  pivot  drills;  hardening  drills;  the  drilling 
and  fitting  of  new  pivots.  Illustrated  with  24  engravings.  48  pages. 

Paper  covers . --- . $  25 

Watch  Repairing.  By  N.  B.  Sherwood.  Contents:  The  Bench  and  its 
Accessories;  The  Vise  and  Oilstone;  .Lathe  Appliances;  The  Jacot 
Lathe;  Depthing  Tool;  Expanding  the  Web  of  a  Wheel;  The  Spreading 
Tool  and  its  Use;  The  Rounding- Up  Tool;  Stud  Remover;  Opening 
the  Regulator;  Roller  Remover;  Replacing  Broken  Teeth;  Grain¬ 
ing  Polishing  Blocks;  Polishing  Steel  Work;  Polishing  Pivots; 
Superiority  of  Conical  Pivots;  The  Cutting  Engine;  To  Cut  ’Scape 
Wheels;  Replacing  Broken  Arbors;  Hardening  and  Tempering.  Illus¬ 
trated.  Price . - . - .  35 

The  Watchmakers’  and  Jewelers’  Practical  Hand  Book.  A  guide  to  the  stu¬ 
dent  and  a  workshop  companion  for  the  practical  watchmaker. 
Hundreds  of  valuable  suggestions  from  private  formulas  and  the  best 
authorities,  together  with  hints  on  making  certain  repairs.  An  inval¬ 
uable  book  for  the  workman.  The  most  valuable  book  for  the  monqy 
ever  offered  to  the  trade.  Fifth  Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged. 
Edited  and  compiled  by  Henry  G.  Abbott.  Illustrated  with  154  zinc 

etchings.  118  Pages.  Flexible  muslin,  50  cents.  Paper  covers .  35 

Prize  Essay  on  the  Detached  Lever  Escapement  for  watches  and  timepieces. 

A  practical  and  theoretical  treatise,  by  Moritz  Grossman,  to  which  the 
first  prize  was  awarded  by  adjudicators  appointed  by  the  British  Hor- 
ological  Institute,  London.  118  pages,  bound  in  paper  covers,  with 
20  full  page  plates,  bound  in  a  separate  volume.  Two  volumes,  price,  1  50 


Acme  Record  of  Watches  Bought  and  Sold.  A  complete  record  for 
dealers  in  watches,  by  which  they  can  at  all  times  tell  what  watches 
have  been  sold,,  by  whom  bought,  price  paid,  profit  made,  etc.,  and 
in  case  of  the  watch  being  imperfect,  the  dealer  can  readily  ascertain 
from  whom  he  purchased  it,  or  if  stolen  he  hat  a  full  description  of 
them  which  should  materially  aid  in  their  recovery.  Books  of  3,000 
Entries,  substantially  bound . . . . $1  00 

The  Acme  Record  of  Watch  Repairs.  A  simple  and  economical  method  of 
recording  watch  repairs.  Book  of  1,000  entries,  substantially  bound  1  00 

The  Acme  Record  of  Jewelry  Repairs.  A  simple  and  economical  method 
of  recording  jewelry  and  miscellaneous  repairs.  Book  of  1,000  entries, 
substantially  bound . . . . .  100 

The  Acme  Watch  Guarantee  Book.  If  you  desire  to  increase  your  watch 
repair  business,  purchase  an  Acme  Guarantee  Book,  and  advertise  the 
fact  that  you  “  give  a  written  guarantee  with  aU  work  turned  out..’’ 
These  books  are  printed  with  a  stub  so  t  hat  you  may  keep  a  record 
of  all  guarantees  made,  with  date,  name  of  owner,  description  of 
movement  and  case,  repairs,  etc.  They  are  bound  in  heavy,  substan¬ 
tial  covers,  printed  on  good  paper  and  perforated  all  around  so  they 
can  be  easily  torn  out. 

Books  of  200  Guarantees . . . .  1  00 

Books  of  300  Guarantees . . . .  1  50 

Books  of  500  Guarantees . . . . . .  2  52 


A  practical  treatise 


WATCH 

ON 

REPAIRING. 

BY  N.  B.  SHERWOOD. 

* 

THIRD  EDITION  IEEUS  I'RATED. 


CHICAGO: 

Gko.  K.  Hazlitt  &  Co.,  Publishers. 
1892. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

The  Bench  and  its  Accessories.  The  Vise  and  Oilstone  -  -  5 

CHAPTER  II. 

Lathe  Appliances.  Thejacot  Lathe,  Depthing  Tool.  Expand¬ 
ing  the  Web  of  a  Wheel . 17 

CHAPTER  III. 

Spreading  Tool,  its  use.  The  Rounding-up  Tool.  Stud  Remover. 

Opening  the  Regulator.  Roller  Remover  -  -  27 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Replacing  Broken  Teeth.  Graining.  Polishing  Blocks  -  -  35 

CHAPTER  V. 

Polishing  Steel  Work.  Polishing  Pivots.  Superiority  of  Conical 

Pivots .  45 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Cutting  Engine.  To  Cut  ’Scape  Wheels  -  -  -  -  53 

CHAPTER  VII. 


Replacing  Broken  Arbors.  Hardening  and  Tempering 


59 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  BENCH  AND  ITS  ACCESSORIES.  THE  VISE  AND 

OILSTONE. 

HE  object  of  the  following  remarks  is  to  give  to  the 


*  trade  instruction  on  not  only  the  truly  theoretical, 
but  purely  technical  art  of  watch  making  and  repairing. 
If  a  work  is  intended  to  reach  the  workman  at  the  bench 
and  be  of  any  use,  it  must  combine  the  lowest  as  well  as 
the  highest  branches;  he  must  be  offered  the  small  things, 
that  in  the  daily  routine  of  watch  repairing  are  of  so 
much  importance.  In  preparing  this  work  the  author 
has  had  in  view  the  immediate  wants  of  his  readers,  and 
he  feels  justified  in  assuming  that  he  knows  them,  as  he 
was  once  in  the  country  repair  trade,  remote  from  a  city, 
and  in  a  situation  where  a  work  of  this  kind  would  be 
hailed  with  delight. 

We  will  imagine  a  good  workman,  even  in  a  small 
country  town,  with  a  limited  stock  of  tools,  and  still 
smaller  stock  of  materials.  He  finds  that  a  pallet  jewel 
has  got  loose,  or  some  ignorant  workman  has  so  topped 
the  escape  wheel,  and  altered  the  escapement,  that  it  is 


5 


6 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


almost  impossible  to  make  the  watch  keep  decent  time. 
What,  then,  shall  he  do?  If  he  puts  in  a  new  escapement 
entirely,  the  cost  will  be  more  than  the  customer  is  willing 
to  pay,  and  he  must,  in  such  a  case,  “botch”  up  the 
work,  and,  it  may  be,  succeed  in  ruining  the  watch;  he 
certainly  will  do  so  if  he  attempts  to  do  any  repairs  with 
the  hope  of  a  good  result,  at  the  ordinary  price  of  repair¬ 
ing.  Again,  the  writer  feels  the  necessity  of  offering  a 
knowledge  of  the  “little  things,”  that  go  far  toward  the 
making  of  a  good  workman,  to  the  young  men  who  are 
now  learning  the  trade.  We  must  say  a  few  words  as  to 
our  shortcomings  in  this  article. 

It  will  be  apparent  to  any  watch  repairer  that  an  article 
on  the  subject  of  watch  repairing,  if  it  enters  at  all  into 
details,  must  necessarily  be  one  of  constant  repetition;  not 
that  the  subject  is  limited,  but  for  the  reason  that  one 
process  so  runs  into  another  that  it  seems  to  be  telling 
the  same  story  over  as  we  progress  in  the  delineation. 

The  need  existing  for  the  series  of  articles  we  contem¬ 
plate  is  well  shown  in  the  correspondence  we  have  had 
with  the  repairers  from  Maine  to  Oregon  and  Michigan 
to  Florida.  The  numerous  questions  asked  as  to  the 
smallest  trifles  (the  watchmaker  would  call  them),  and 
the  suggestions  offered,  indicate  to  us  that  a  work  on 
mechanical  manipulations,  as  applied  to  the  watch  trade, 
would  be  of  importance  to  the  whole  Horological  com¬ 
munity. 

There  are  workmen  who  stand  in  no  need  of  a  work 
of  such  minute  detail  as  to  what  they  know,  and  they 
may  feel  disposed  to  under-value  the  knowledge  sought 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


7 


to  be  conveyed ;  yet  they  cannot  help  recollecting  a  period 
in  their  lives  when  they  would  have  given  much  for  just 
such  a  resume  of  the  work  at  the  bench  as  this  is  intended 
to  be.  There  is  not  extant  a  work  that,  like  Hollzapffel’s 
Mechanical  Manipulation,  applied  to  general  mechanics, 
is  directly  applicable  to  the  watch  and  jewelry  trade.  We 
may  regret  the  fact,  but  of  all  the  works  in  existence, 
not  one  treats  on  the  smaller  things — that  is,  the  con¬ 
stant  affairs  occurring  in  the  ordinary  routine  of  watch 
repairing. 

Of  what  value  would  a  learned  discussion  on  the  subject 
of  the  lever  escapement  be,  to  the  man  who  is  repairing 
the  ratchet  work  on  the  barrel,  or  replacing  a  new  center 
pinion?  The  polishing  of  a  square  on  the  barrel  arbor 
may  be  of  more  importance  to  one  individual  than  the 
most  perfect  mathematical  demonstration  of  all  the  escape¬ 
ments.  In  springing,  the  watch  repairer  very  frequently 
has  trouble  that  might  be  avoided,  provided  he  had  the 
smallest  hint  from  some  one  who  has  learned  by  experi¬ 
ence  the  best  method  of  springing.  The  man  who  prides 
himself  on  the  fact  that  he  can  learn  nothing  from  others 
has  a  perfectly  just  estimate  of  his  own  abilities,  and  he 
can  learn  nothing,  simply  from  a  deficiency  of  brains.  It 
is  the  same  old  story,  that  the  world  was  wiser  hundreds 
of  years  ago  than  now;  as  if  the  accumulated  wisdom  of 
ages,  added  to  the  person’s  own  individual  experience, 
did  not  furnish  a  better  basis  of  knowledge.  There  is  no 
one  man  that  possesses  all  the  knowledge  that  is  so  very 
useful  at  the  bench,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that  there 
is  no  one  who  cannot  give  some  information  in  regard 


8 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


to  his  mode  of  doing  certain  work,  even  to  the  best 
workman.  He  may  tell  many  things  of  no  interest, 
perhaps,  to  some  individual  reader,  and  yet  interest  a 
hundred  others.  Inevitably,  the  story  of  a  monotonous 
occupation  at  the  bench  must  be  somewhat  stale  to  him 
who  has  wrought  at  the  trade  for  a  number  of  years. 
This  fact  constitutes  the  very  first  difficulty  in  treating 
the  subject  as  minutely  as  it  really  should  be  treated,  for 
there  are  many,  very  many,  who  have  had  only  the  edu¬ 
cation  in  the  trade  that  an  ordinary  country  jobbing  shop 
could  afford.  While  the  proposed  article  is  intended 
expressly  for  such,  the  author  has  a  consciousness 
that  even  the  skilled  workman  may  find  in  them 
something  that  will  not  only  interest,  but  instruct  him. 
With  these  preliminary  remarks,  we  shall  launch  out 
on  the  subject  of  watches  and  clocks,  and  the  repairs 
of  the  same. 

The  very  intense  ignorance  of  the  watch-carrying 
public  is  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to  the  repairer. 
Good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  as  the  case  may  be,  each 
owner  seems  to  think  that  the  repairer  should  make 
it  keep  time  —  a  result  the  timepiece  was  never  intended 
to  accomplish ;  and  we  speak  from  experience  when 
we  state  that  a  hasty  judgment  in  regard  to  the  per¬ 
formance  will,  in  some  instances,  give  the  workman 
more  trouble  than  the  whole  value  of  the  cost  of 
repairs.  That  the  ordinary  Connecticut  clock  keeps 
time ,  on  the  average,  is  taken  as  a  standard  by  which 
the  commonest  English  lever  is  rated,  and,  unfortunately 
for  the  repairer,  the  clock  is  in  many  instances  the 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


9 


best  timepiece,  and  thus  he  will  be  blamed  for  work 
that  he,  or  any  one  else,  in  no  possible  way  could 
improve. 

The  young  man  who,  having  worked  at  the  bench 
three  or  four  years,  starts  for  himself,  say  in  a  place 
remote  from  the  centre  of  trade,  will  occasionally 
overreach  himself  in  his  eagerness  to  acquire  trade,  by 
heedlessly  taking  in  jobs  that  he  has  not  thoroughly 
examined,  and  therefore  has  no  just  data  on  which  to 
found  a  price  adequate  to  the  time  and  labor  he  must 
necessarily  bestow  on  the  work.  The  work  of  ordinary 
shops,  at  the  present  day,  is  rendered  easier  than  in 
former  days,  from  the  fact  that  the  general  run  of 
watches  are  Swiss.  Once  in  a  while  the  repairer  is 
called  upon  to  tinker  up  a  poor  quality  of  English  watch, 
made  in  Coventry,  that  no  skill  can  make  run  well;  the 
labor  bestowed  on  it  is  wasted,  and  both  the  customer 
and  workman  are  disappointed.  There  are  in  the  Swiss 
cheap  watch  some  points  that  a  repairer  may  well  take 
heed  of,  as  his  time  is  of  some  value.  It  is  to  be 
remembered,  also,  that  the  class  of  watch  purchased  in 
different  localities  will  vary  with  the  means  and  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  inhabitants.  In  a  Broadway  store  one  may 
see  every  variety  of  watch,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest,  while  in  some  repairing  stores  only  the  very  best 
class  of  work  is  brought  in.  The  object  of  the  foregoing 
is  to  bring  before  the  minds  of  our  readers  the  intention 
we  have  in  this  work,  and  we  ask  the  reader  to  use  his 
own  judgment  in  the  reading,  for  there  is  no  one  but  can 
add  something  to  the  general  stock  of  knowledge. 


IO 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


The  first  requisite  the  repairer  needs  is  a  good  bench, 
conveniently  arranged  for  laying  away  both  tools  and 
materials.  The  best  bench  we  have  ever  used  was  a 
single,  white,  seasoned,  pine  plank,  say  one  and  a  half 
inches  thick  by  twenty  inches  wide;  the  length  will  be 
determined  by  the  conditions  of  the  window  at  which  the 
work  is  to  be  done.  We  are  speaking  now  of  a  good 
bench,  within  the  reach  of  any  one.  When  there  is  a 
desire  to  have  the  surface  level,  the  plank  may  be  gained 

/ 

and  battens  let  in  before  the  top  is  traversed  by  the  plane, 
which  will  insure  it  against  warping.  After  the  top  has 
been  made  perfectly  level  by  traverse  planing,  it  should 
be  smoothed  off  with  sand  paper,  and  then  varnished 
with  three  or  four  coats  of  gum  shellac  varnish,  which 
will  give  it  a  fine  surface  that  is  not  liable  to  absorb  oil, 
thus  preventing  the  top  from  presenting  the  unseemly 
appearance  caused  by  oil  and  dust;  and  washing  with 
soap  and  water  is  practicable,  thus  enabling  the  workman 
to  always  have  a  clean  bench  upon  which  to  do  his  work. 

Here,  in  the  very  initiation  of  the  subject,  we  can  not 
fail  doing  the  apprentice  a  benefit  by  urging  upon  his 
attention  the  necessity  of  absolute  cleanliness  in  all  his 
work;  an  attention  that  will,  during  a  few  years  of  active 
work,  more  than  repay  whatever  little  trouble  it  may 
involve;  the  habit  once  acquired  will  never  be  abandoned. 
The  top  of  the  work-bench  having  been  prepared,  a  small 
bead  should  be  bradded  on  to  the  front  edge  and  a  flange 
on  the  back  and  ends.  The  proper  height  for  most 
artisans  is  about  thirty-two  inches,  this  height  allows  of  a 
good-sized  driving-wheel  for  his  lathe,  if  he  contemplates 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


I  I 

mounting  one  on  his  bench.  The  supports  should 
be  firmly  fixed  to  the  floor,  and  for  the  sake  of  rapid 
work,  a  nest  of  shallow  drawers  should  be  suspended 
beneath  the  bench,  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  work¬ 
man.  These  can  be  made,  and  divided  internally,  as  the 
circumstances  may  dictate,  in  reference  to  convenience 
and  durability — the  partitions  being  thin  and  the  spaces 
adapted  with  care  to  the  various  small  tools  and  the 
material  boxes.  With  a  bench  thus  arranged  the  work¬ 
man  can  do  a  larger  percentage  of  work  than  where  he 
relies  on  the  bench  for  a  depository  of  all  the  tools. 

No  one  can  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  tedious  searching 
for  some  tool  among  the  mass  of  stuff  lying  before  the 
workman,  that  happens  where  no  system  of  order  is 
observed.  Directly  in  front  of  the  artisan,  and  under  the 
bench,  should  be  a  drawer  with  a  tin  bottom,  being 
pierced  in  the  center  with  a  number  of  fine  holes,  under 
which  a  tin  bottom  is  fitted  like  the  top  of  a  blacking 
box.  The  object  of  this  arrangement  is  to  catch  any 
filings  or  clippings  of  work  in  silver  or  gold.  Some  little 
distance  below  the  gold  drawer  a  frame  should  be  fitted 
on  runners,  and  have  a  bottom  of  strong  leather  (good 
sheepskin  is  well  enough),  the  object  being  to  afford  a 
depository  to  catch  any  article  that  may  drop  from  the 
bench.  The  workman  will  get  in  the  habit  of  drawing 
the  “skin”  out  every  time  he  sits  down  before  he  attempts 
to  execute  any  work.  Any  watchmaker  knows  the 
vexations  attending  the  dropping  of  a  screw,  wheel,  or 
any  small  article  where  he  is  compelled  to  get  on  the 
floor  and  institute  sometimes  a  laborious  search,  which  in 


12 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


many  cases  proves  unavailing,  to  restore  the  lost  article. 
These  accompaniments  to  the  bench  may  be  made  as  taste 
may  incline,  but  we  should  recommend  that  neatness  in 
the  arrangements  should  be  observed,  for  any  man  can 
work  faster  and  better  at  a  well-arranged,  neat  and  clean 
bench,  than  at  one  of  the  slouchy,  dirty  things  too  often 
seen,  that  look  like  twin  brothers  to  a  jobbing  locksmith’s 
bench. 

If  the  workman  determines  to  mount  a  lathe,  it  should 
be  placed  to  his  left,  far  enough  to  enable  him  to  work 
with  plenty  of  room  at  the  ordinary  repairs,  and  yet  not 
so  far  off  that  he  has  to  move  his  seat  any  distance,  or 
get  up  in  order  to  use  the  lathe.  This  much  for  the 
bench.  We  have  been  more  minute  than  may  be  con¬ 
sidered  necessary,  but  when  the  fatiguing  nature  of  the 
work  is  considered,  any  mode  of  shortening  the  duration 
is  of  benefit. 

The  next  important  point  is  in  regard  to  tools  and 
material,  and  no  consideration  of  price  should  be 
regarded  in  getting  the  very  best  of  both.  It  must  be 
well  known  to  every  jobber  that  he  is  often  offered 
tools  that,  if  good,  are  far  below  a  fair  price;  the  same 
with  material,  and  if  he  happens  to  be  remote  from 
any  dealer,  he  may  cheat  himself  by  attempting  to  save 
a  dime  in  his  purchase,  for  it  is  a  rule  that  the  price 
bears  a  certain  relation  to  the  quality.  For  instance, 
there  are  both  Swiss  and  English  tools  of  the  very  best 
quality,  but  they  are  high.  Now  if  the  workman  should 
reject  one  of  these,  and  choose  a  pair  of  plyers,  for 
instance,  he  is  more  than  likely  to  get  a  malleable  or 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


13 


cast  iron  tool,  simply  case-hardened,  liable  at  any  time  to 
fracture,  and  this  may  happen  at  a  time  when  its  use  is 
imperatively  demanded.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
hollow  pin  vise  and  pin  tongs.  One  of  the  most  import¬ 
ant  tools  on  the  bench  is  the  vise.  Formerly,  the  com¬ 
mon  vise  was  the  only  one  in  market,  but  of  late  years 
there  have  been  introduced  into  market  various  forms 
and  patterns  of  parallel  vises,  some  having  a  moving  jaw 
to  hold  taper  or  uneven  objects. 

The  Swiss  and  Americans  are  the  principal  producers. 
Of  all  the  styles,  we  give  our  preference  to  the  smallest- 
sized  Parker  vise,  with  an  adjustable  jaw,  and  capable  of 
being  revolved  on  an  axis  to  any  angle  convenient  for 
working;  it  is  made  of  cast-iron,  with  steel-faced  jaws, 
planed  on  and  tempered  equal  to  the  best  Stubbs.  The 
Swiss  parallel  vise  is  made  apparently  of  very  coarse 
steel,  left  generally  so  hard  that  the  jaws  are  liable  to 
fracture  when  pinching  hard  with  a  light  bearing.  On 
all  accounts,  the  American  vise  is  the  best,  while  its  cost 
is  not  so  much  higher  than  the  Stubbs’  Cotter  vise,  and 
not  so  high  in  price  as  the  Swiss  parallel.  One  should 
be  chosen  that  closes  evenly  in  the  jaws,  and  we  prefer  a 
perfectly  smooth  face  to  the  steel,  instead  of  one  cut  in 
file  teeth,  as  for  all  the  ordinary  work  in  the  watch  or 
even  clock  repairing  business,  the  bite  will  be  sufficient 
to  hold  the  work  without  marring. 

The  vise  should  be  firmly  screwed  to  the  bench,  at  a 
convenient  distance  to  the  right  of  the  workman,  and 
should  be  furnished  with  a  pair  of  false  jaws  made  of,  say 
hard  sheet  brass,  and  so  fitted  that  they  will  slide  on — not 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


H 

drop  on — and  when  they  meet  they  should  be  filed  down 
to  sharp  joining  corners.  Sometimes  in  operating  on 
work  constructed  from  soft  material,  it  is  advisable  to 
mount  the  vise  with  wood  or  lead  false  jaws,  or  even  a 
strip  of  hard  leather  may  be  used,  one  on  each  jaw;  this 
material  serves  admirably  in  cases  of  gilded  work,  etc. 
Another  very  important  adjunct  on  the  bench  is  a  first- 
class  oil-stone;  it  may  be  Arkansas  or  Turkey, though  we 
prefer  the  former.  Like  all  other  parts  of  the  bench 
appliances,  it  should  be  kept  clean,  and  should  never  be 
used  without  oil,  as  particles  of  steel  are  apt  to  stick  in  the 
face  of  the  stone,  and  thus  leave  places  of  no  action;  the 
same  thing  occurs  to  the  machinists  files,  and  is  called 
“  cat  faces.”  If  the  workman  has  a  lathe,  he  may  easily 
attach  a  small  Arkansas  stone  to  a  chuck  and  use  it  as  a 
grindstone,  either  on  the  edge  or  face.  In  fact,  for  get¬ 
ting  the  correct  angle  and  flats  for  cutting  tools,  the  cir¬ 
cular  grinder  is  infinitely  superior  to  any  other  tool,  as 
the  object  to  be  sharpened  may  be  held  in  one  position 
while  the  grinder  is  doing  its  work;  whereas,  in  using 
the  flat  stone,  and  moving  the  object,  neither  the 
parallelism  nor  angle  can  be  maintained,  owing  to  the 
motions  of  the  hand  and  arm.  For  fitting  up  very 
fine  drills,  the  circular  cutter  is  of  the  greatest  utility, 
and  may  be  made  to  supersede  entirely  the  straight 
stone,  from  the  accuracy  with  which  the  work  can  be 
done,  and  the  delicacy  of  touch  the  workman  has  in 
doing  the  abrasion. 

The  oil-stone  has  been  cited  as  a  sharpening  tool 
only;  the  bench  should  be  furnished  with  appliances 


WATCH  REPAIRING.  I 

for  flattening  both  steel  and  brass  work,  for  bringing 
them  to  the  gray,  and  for  polishing.  As  these  con¬ 
veniences  can  easily  be  made  by  any  intelligent  work¬ 
man,  we  shall  take  great  pains  to  give  a  full  description 
of  both  tools  and  processes. 


m 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


17 


CHAPTER  II. 

LATHE  ADPLIANCES.  THE  JACOT  LATHE.  DEPTHING  TOOL, 
EXPANDING  THE  WEB  OF  A  WHEEL. 


WE  will  suppose  that  the  artisan  has  got  his  bench 
perfectly  arranged,  and  is  ready  for  work.  He 
will  find  that  in  his  odd  moments,  when  not  fully  occu¬ 
pied  by  custom  work,  he  may  successfully  make  many 
small  tools  that  can  seldom  be  found  in  the  stores  oi 
material  dealers;  for  he  may,  with  the  use  of  a  little 
shellac,  work  up  his  squares  of  arbors,  as  well  as  the 
flats  of  the  steel  work  that  he  may  be  required  to  replace 
or  even  repair.  Let  us  take  the  ordinary  dead-center 
lathe — the  common  verge,  as  it  is  called — and  we  can,  by 
a  few  appliances,  make  it  quite  as  useful  as  the  ordinary 
vise,  and  the  work  can  be  done  much  truer  than  by  any 
means  that  can  be  employed  on  the  vise;  and  for  this 
reason  the  watch  repairer  should  have  a  common  steel 
lathe,  dead  center,  or  some  other  appliance  to  answer  the 
same  purpose,  and  he  will  find  that  he  can  save  a  great 
many  hours’  labor,  and  do  much  better  work.  We  will 
illustrate,  for  instance,  the  value  of  such  a  pair  of  centers. 
Let  it  be  supposed  that  we  desire  to  finish  up  the  square 


i8 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


on  a  fuzee,  barrel  or  arbor;  we  may  find  some  difficulty 
if  we  attempt  to  file  the  sides  of  the  square  flat.  Even 
if  we  achieve  this  feat,  we  shall  find  that,  instead  of  per¬ 
fect  flats,  we  have  rounded  surfaces,  if  we  have  depended 
entirely  on  our  hands  to  do  the  work.  Suppose,  how¬ 
ever,  we  place  an  arbor  between  a  pair  of  dead-centers, 
allowing  it  no  end-play,  but  perfect  freedom  to  revolve. 
Now,  if  we  have,  in  the  first  place,  made  a  flat  on  the 
sides,  w'e  may  apply  a  file  to  the  surface  thus  made,  when 
it  is  swinging  between  the  centers:  and  it  is  obvious  that 
the  surface  will  follow  the  direction  of  the  instrument, 
whether  a  file  or  polishing  tool.  Diagram  i  will  give  an 


Diagram,  1. 


idea  of  the  application,  and  may  suggest  many  more 
that  at  the  bench  will  be  very  valuable. 

The  two  centers,  C,  are  supposed  to  be  fixed  in  their 
respective  places,  while  the  arbor,  B,  is  free  to  revolve, 
and  the  square,  F,  can  be  finished  up  with  perfectly  flat 
sides.  The  file  being  applied  to  the  flat,  F,  the  freedom 
of  motion  will  enable  the  article  to  meet  it  at  any  position 
the  hand  of  the  operator  may  move  it;  and  in  polishing, 
the  value  of  the  process  will  become  apparent,  for  it  can¬ 
not  have  escaped  the  notice  of  any  workman  that,  though 
he  may  have  filed  a  surface  flat,  he  invariably  rounds  it 
in  the  polishing.  When  thin  work  is  to  be  done  (brass 
or  steel),  a  small  attachment  may  be  made  to  the  lathe  by 
any  workman,  such  as  is  given  in  Diagram  2 — C  being, 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


L9 

as  before,  the  centers,  and  the  brass  cradle  being  swung  be¬ 
tween  them.  If  the  piece  to  be  filed  is  fastened  by  shellac 
on  the  surface,  S,  it  is  evident  that  if  the  work  has  been  in 
the  first  place  started  right,  the  work  will  accommodate 
itself  to  the  file  at  whatever  position  that  may  assume 
This  form  of  tool  may  be  used  for  almost  every  part 
where  parallelism  of  the  two  sides  is  required,  and  the 
file  will  leave  a  flat  surface.  The  reader  must  have 
observed  the  sharp  corners  and  beautiful  level  surfaces 
given  to  the  polished  sides  of  the  Swiss  wheel,  and 
that  too,  of  those  occurring  in  a  very  low  class  of  watch. 


Diagram  2. 


It  is  to  get  just  such  a  surface  ready  for  the  final  polish 
that  the  watchmaker  may  use  the  above. 

This  little  attachment  is  so  easily  made,  and  so  ob¬ 
viously  useful,  that  we  shall  expect  to  hear  of  its  adop¬ 
tion  from  many  who  have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  using 
it.  Let  the  conical  holes  for  the  centers  be  deep  enough 
to  prevent  the  work  and  tool  being  thrown  out  of  the 
lathe  by  the  use  of  the  file  or  polisher.  In  small  steel 
work  it  is  invaluable;  as  the  flats  of  the  barrel  work,  and 
so  on,  may  be  filed,  stoned,  and  finally  polished,  without 
removal  of  the  piece.  The  workman  may  make  the 
swing  of  any  size  and  length  to  accommodate  the  dimen¬ 
sions  of  the  pieces  he  wishes  to  work  on,  and  as  the 


20 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


thing  is  so  easily  made,  he  may  have  a  number  of 
different  sizes  and  depths.  In  placing  the  centres  on 
which  it  is  to  vibrate,  it  must  be  taken  into  considera¬ 
tion  that  the  nearer  the  surface  to  be  worked  is  placed  to 
the  line  of  the  centers,  the  truer  will  be  the  work,  as  it 
will  vibrate  much  more  easily  than  when  the  surface  falls 
below  the  center. 

Other  attachments  will  suggest  themselves  to  the  work¬ 
man  if  he  will  study  the  capabilities  of  the  tool  as  an  in¬ 
strument  to  be  used  in  the  vise  for  various  purposes;  and 
we  will  give  one  or  two  examples  that  will  open  the  way 
to  a  full  comprehension.  We  predicate,  however,  that 


Diagram  S. 

the  repairer  has  no  standing  lathe;  that  is,  he  must  use  a 
dead-center  tool.  If  he  is  in  the  vicinity  of  a  machine 
shop,  he  can  very  cheaply  obtain  a  few  spare  centers, 
and  on  the  ends  turn  up  a  button,  somewhat  like  the 
figure. 

By  drilling  a  series  of  holes  around  the  common 
center,  as  shown  at  A,  he  will  have  a  back  rest  with 
which  he  is  enabled  to  true  up  any  pivot  or  staff;  the 
holes  must  vary  in  size  and  be  chamfered  until  the 
chamfer  forms  a  very  thin  edge,  with  the  back  of  the 
button,  B.  It  will  be  at  once  comprehended  that  the 
back  spindle  must  be  elevated,  or  rather  thrown  above 
the  center  by  as  much  as  the  holes  are  from  the  center. 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


21 


With  a  few  spare  spindles,  the  repairer  can  make  for 
himself  a  great  number  of  small  conveniences  that  can 
not  be  purchased. 

The  very  making  of  such  tools  will  be  a  source  of 
profit,  indirectly,  as  the  maker  will,  by  the  exercise  of  his 
mechanical  powers,  find  some  relief  from  the  monotony 
of  watch  repairing.  Every  workman  is  familiar  with  the 
Jacot  lathe,  and  where  work  is  to  be  done  on  the  dead- 
center  principle  there  is  nothing  better;  but  it  is  confined 
to  a  very  small  class  of  work,  and  therefore  not  so  well 
adapted  for  general  purposes  as  the  ordinary  lathe,  with 
the  attachments  we  have  spoken  of.  The  depthing  tool 
is  all-important,  and  the  beginner,  when  he  has  a  good 
watch  down,  should  always  spare  time  enough  to  try  the 
depths  with  the  tool;  the  practice  will  familiarize  him 
with  the  standard  of  depths  adopted  by  the  best  makers. 

There  is  a  very  ingenious  use  to  be  made  of  the  depth¬ 
ing  tool  somewhat  aside  from  the  object  for  which  it  was 
originally  intended.  Suppose  we  wish  to  top  a  scape- 
wheel  with  pointed  teeth.  We  first  place  on  one  of  the 
common  arbors  sold  in  the  stores,  a  small  hub  of  bell 
metal,  and  turn  it  off  true  and  parallel  on  its  own  center. 
This  arbor,  with  its  hub,  is  swung  between  one  pair  of 
centers  in  the  depthing  tool,  while  the  scape-wheel  is 
swung  by  its  own  pinion  in  the  opposite;  and  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  hub  may  be  brought  in  contact  with  each 
tooth  successively.  With  a  bow  and  a  small  amount  of 
crocus  and  oil  applied  to  the  hub,  the  topping  can  be 
done  with  a  degree  of  precision  not  attainable  by  any 
other  means. 


22 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


In  purchasing  the  depthing  tool,  it  should  not  be  taken 
for  granted  that  the  tool  is  true;  it  should  be  tried,  and  if 
on  trial  the  marks  made  by  the  four  centers  do  not  cor¬ 
respond  when  they  are  projected  to  their  full  length,  and 
again  when  closed,  the  instrument  may  be  considered 
defective  and  unreliable  —  in  fact,  worse  than  none 
at  all,  as  it  is  so  apt  to  betray  the  workman  in  a  very 
important  item  of  watch  repairing.  The  workman 
would  do  well  to  attach  to  the  depthing  tool  a  small 
right  angle  made  of  a  thin  piece  of  brass,  and  screwed 
to  the  side  of  the  tool  in  such  a  manner  that,  with  a 
notch  cut  in  the  upright  portion,  he  can  get  a  species 
of  banking  pins  when  he  is  examining  the  depth  and 
action  of  a  scape-wheel  and  pallet,  in  case  either  have 
to  be  replaced.  This  banking  piece  is  of  great  assist¬ 
ance,  and  can  be  so  easily  attached  that  it  is  inexcusable 
for  any  to  be  without  it. 

Another  very  important  adjunct  to  the  bench  is  a  good 
set  of  staking  tools;  by  this  we  do  not  mean  the  ordinary 
hollow  punches  used  by  hand,  with  the  common  pinion 
stake,  but  a  much  better  arrangement,  that  any  work¬ 
man  may  accomplish,  if  he  is  willing  to  devote  some  of 
his  spare  hours  not  only  for  his  own  improvement,  but 
for  the  tools  on  his  bench,  and  the  increased  facilities  such 
tools  will  afford  him  in  the  prosecution  of  his  business. 
Besides  the  mere  staking  on  of  a  wheel,  the  same  tool 
ma}r  be  used  for  closing  holes  and  expanding  wheels.  It 
often  happens  that  a  Swiss  watch  will  be  brought  to  the 
repairer  that  is  persistent  in  a  habit  of  stopping.  This 
class  of  watch  is  often  the  low  price  variety,  it  is  true; 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


23 


but  this  fact  does  not  lessen  the  trouble  the  workman  has, 
for  his  trade  in  general  does  not  allow  him  to  select  his 
class  of  work.  The  watch  is  examined,  and  if  the  work¬ 
man  has  been  posted  in  his  trade,  he  generally  finds  a 
faulty  depth  between  the  fourth  wheel  and  scape-pinion. 
In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  will  find  the  wheel  too  small, 
or  else  that  it  is  six-sided,  and  therefore  the  depth  is 
wrong  in  every  point  of  the  wheel,  except  at  the  extremi¬ 
ties  of  the  arms  or  crossings,  which  have  served  to  keep 
the  web  to  its  true  place  while  it  was  being  cut.  The  first 
step  of  the  workman  will  be  to  ascertain  whether  the 
wheel  is  too  large  or  too  small;  if  too  large,  the  first  and 
only  thing  is  to  top  it,  and  then  round  up  the  teeth  with 
a  Swiss  rounding-up  tool;  but  every  watch  bench  does 
not  boast  of  such  an  article,  and  we  have  seen  the 
Swiss  workman,  after  the  topping,  round-up  the  teeth 
with  a  common  round-up  file.  Of  course  his  work 
was  not  so  well  done  as  he  could  have  done  it  with  the 
proper  tool. 

Taking  the  other  horn  of  the  dilemma,  we  find  the 
wheel  too  small;  in  such  a  case  it  is  evident  that  the  web 
should  be  expanded,  and  as  the  amount  is  so  infinitesimal 
we  may  apprehend  no  difficulty  from  the  pitch  of  the 
wheel  teeth,  provided  we  can  expand  the  web  equally, 
and  leave  the  circumference  nearly  a  perfect  circle.  We 
have  seen  this  process  of  expansion  effected  by  a  ham¬ 
mer  on  the  anvil  block  of  the  vise,  and  then  the  teeth 
rounded  up  by  means  of  a  block  of  wood  placed  upright 
in  the  vise,  and  the  wheel  held  in  the  fingers  of  the  work¬ 
man —  he  occasionally  trying  the  wheel  between  the 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


‘•*4 

centers  to  ascertain  if  it  was  true.  This,  undoubtedly,  is 
a  reprehensible  mode,  as  no  accuracy  can  be  insured;  and 
again,  the  polished  surface  is  marred  by  the  contact  with 
either  the  hammer  or  the  anvil  block.  Now  in  the  stak¬ 
ing  tool  we  are  about  to  describe,  the  whole  object  can  be 
effected  with  almost  a  certainty  of  precision,  and  in  one- 
half  the  time  required  under  the  old  style.  Suppose  we 
take  one  of  the  common  old  style  of  Swiss  uprighting 
tools,  and  even  should  it  not  be  true  it  would  make  but 
little  difference.  There  is  always  a  square  on  the  under 
section  by  which  the  tool  is  to  be  held  in  the  vise,  and  as 
the  long  bearing  for  the  lower  centre  is  not  required,  the 
round  portion  may  be  cut  off  and  thus  render  the  tool 
more  handy  to  be  employed  in  the  vise. 

The  lower  hole  may  be  bored  out  to  a  large  diameter 
or  left  as  it  is,  and  we  would  recommend  that  in  the  selec¬ 
tion  of  the  tool  the  artisan  should  choose  one  in  which  the 
two  centers  accurately  fit  the  upper  hole,  as  then  he  will 
have  two  arbors  to  carry  his  punches;  for  he  will  never 
need  to  use  the  lower  spindle  for  any  other  purpose. 
These  conditions  being  assumed,  the  workman  will  first 
take  out  the  centers  that  come  in  the  two  arbors,  and 
ream  out  the  hole  in  the  end  with  a  taper  reamer;  which, 
be  it  remembered,  together  with  all  the  other  operations, 
are  completelv  within  the  scope  of  an  ordinary  village 
watch  repairer,  even  if  he  is  remote  from  any  machine 
shop.  Having  reamed  out  the  end  of  what  we  may 
designate  the  plunger  of  the  punching  press  (for  it 
becomes  this  and  nothing  more),  he  may  fit  in  the  taper 
any  number  of  hollow,  closing,  swedging,  and  riveting 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


25 


punches,  fitting  them  with  accuracy,  and  in  the  case  of 
the  hollow  punches,  drilling  them  after  being  fitted  from 
the  lower  hole  with  a  drill  fitted  in  the  other  mandrel,  on 
which  he  may  place  a  pulley,  and  revolve  it  either  by 
means  of  the  bow  or  a  foot  wheel;  of  course  the  drill 
will  have  to  be  ground,  and  formed  in  accordance  with 
the  mode  by  which  it  is  to  be  driven.  It  will  be  neces¬ 
sary  to  get  the  drill  perfectly  true  with  the  center  of  the 
mandrel,  and  then  it  can  be  reversed  to  the  upper  hole  to 
drill  the  dies. 

The  dies  are  made  of  steel  wire  (Stubb’s,),  much  larg¬ 
er  in  diameter  than  the  lower  hole;  the  end  of  the  wire  is 
to  be  turned  up  to  a  shoulder,  and  then  the  piece  is  cut 
off  to  a  suitable  thickness,  say  from  an  eighth  to  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  above  the  shoulder;  there  should  be 
one  made  of  a  much  larger  diameter,  about  one-half  an 
inch  thick,  so  large  that  if  a  wheel’s  pinion  should  be 
dropped  in  a  hole  near  the  periphery,  the  web  of  the 
wheel  may  be  brought  directly  under  the  center. 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


27 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  SPREADING  TOOL.  ITS  USE.  THE  ROUNDING-UP  TOOL. 
STUD  REMOVER.  OPENING  THE  REGULATOR. 
ROLLER  REMOVER. 


THE  die  is  supposed  to  have  the  tit  for  the  lower  hole 
in  the  center.  An  improvement  on  this  would  be  to 
make  the  tit  and  block  eccentric,  as  shown  in  the  dia¬ 
gram;  the  figures  are  drawn  on  an  enlarged  scale,  but 


Diagram  4. 


they  show  the  whole  principle.  The  holes,  as  indicated, 
should  be  large  enough  to  take  any  pinion.  The  tit,  A, 
is  fitted  to  the  lower  hole,  and  the  die,  B,  is  turned  up 
eccentric  to  A,  but  the  surfaces  i,  2,  and  3,  4,  are  to  be 
made  perfectly  at  right  angles  with  the  axis  of  A.  The 
holes  that  are  to  be  drilled  are  shown  on  the  face  of  Fig. 


28 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


i,  and  by  the  dotted  lines  in  Fig.  2;  they  may  be  drilled 
at  any  distance  from  the  centre  of  A,  observing  that  if 
put  in  curved  lines  much  nicer  gradation  of  distance  can 
be  obtained  than  if  put  in  a  straight  line.  Though  the 
holes  are  large  enough  to  take  any  pinion,  the  truth  of 
the  center  will  not  be  lost  in  the  subsequent  processes, 
even  if  the  pinion  is  much  smaller  than  the  hole,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  when  the  web  of  the  wheel  has 
been  brought  under  the  center  of  the  punch  (or  what 
in  fact  may  be  called  a  spreading  tool),  the  pinion 
rests  against  the  back  of  the  hole  in  which  it  may  be 
placed,  and  this  may  be  turned  around  with  great 
accuracy  as  to  truth. 

The  dotted  lines  on  the  face  of  Fig.  1  represent  two 
wheels  of  different  sizes;  the  lines  in  each  case  crossing 
the  center  of  the  block  B;  now,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  with 
the  limited  number  of  sizes  of  watch  wheels,  only  a  few 
boles  will  be  necessary.  The  form  of  the  spreading 
tool  on  its  face,  or  rather  edge,  is  represented  in  Fig.  3, 
and  the  shape  of  this  edge  is  very  much  like  a  common 
cold  chisel;  the  curvature  should  nearly  correspond  to 
the  diameter  of  the  wheel  to  be  operated  on.  The 
block  should  be  hardened  and  tempered,  and  then 
finely  polished  as  truly  flat  as  possible,  and  the  holes 
should  be  slightly  larger  on  the  lower  side  than  on 
the  face. 

Supposing  now  we  have  the  tools  all  prepared,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  uses  may  be  made  of  them.  In  a  great  many 
Swiss  watches,  of  the  cheaper  class,  the  repairer  will  find 
an  ugly  fault  of  stopping,  and  on  investigation  he  finds  a 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


29 


wheel  out  of  true,  say  (and  it  is  most  common)  the  fourth 
wheel;  it  will  run  partly  around,  but  at  some  portion  of 
its  periphery  it  will  be  found  to  be  out  of  depth  with  the 
scape-wheel  pinion,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  depth 
at  that  point  will  be  found  to  be  too  shallow.  There  are 
only  two  ways  to  remedy  this  difficulty:  either  put  in  a 
new  wheel,  or  spread  the  low  side  of  the  old  one  so  as  to 
bring  the  wheel  true.  The  first  step  will  be  to  ascertain 
exactly  where  the  low  side  is,  and  how  much  of  an  arc  it 
subtends;  this  is  to  be  done  in  the  lathe,  or  still  better, 
the  depthing  tool,  as  in  the  latter  the  action  of  each  tooth 
on  the  pinion  can  be  observed.  Having  ascertained  the 
part,  the  wheel,  with  its  pinion,  is  placed  on  the  block  in  the 
staking  tool,  the  lower  side  of  the  wheel  being  up;  the 
centre  of  the  web  should  be  brought  directly  under  the 
tool  (Fig.  3);  a  few  blows  of  the  hammer  on  the  spindle 
in  which  the  tool  is  held  will  make  a  slight  crease  in  the 
web,  and  the  displacement  of  the  metal  will  be  sufficient 
to  spread  out  the  wheel  to  its  true  circle. 

This,  as  a  matter  of  course,  must  be  done  with  caution, 
and  repeated  trials  be  made  for  fear  of  getting  the  wheel 
too  large;  with  care,  the  job  can  be  done  without  any 
subsequent  rounding  up  of  the  wheel  teeth.  It  may  be 
thought  that  we  have  dwelt  on  this  subject  at  too  great 
length;  but  when  we  consider  that  the  common  practice 
is  to  hammer  the  web  out,  and  then  with  a  rounding-up 
file  bring  the  wheel  to  size  and  truth  by  the  eye  alone,  we 
feel  that  a  more  perfect  plan  is  of  great  value,  especially 
as  the  workman  can  make  his  own  tools,  at  times  when 
he  is  not  engaged.  Again,  the  young  workman  may 


30 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


find  in  the  discussion  of  the  subject  some  important  hints 
that  may  lead  him  to  find  a  cause  of  stoppage  where  he 
least  expected. 

In  large  cities,  where  tools  are  abundant,  it  perhaps 
would  be  better  to  spread  the  whole  web  and  then 
bring  the  wheel  to  depth  by  means  of  the  rounding-up 
tool.  The  most  of  the  repairers  in  the  country  have 
not  the  facilities  that  are  afforded  in  cities  like  New 
York,  Chicago  or  Philadelphia,  though  they  might 
have,  were  they  to  pay  more  attention  to  their  tools, 
and  lay  out  more  money  on  them  than  is  generally 
done;  for  a  gradual  accretion  of  tools  tells  but  little  in 
the  long  run,  from  the  fact  that  the  repairer  will  have 
made  more  from  the  purchase  and  use  than  the  prime 
cost.  The  Swiss  rounding-up  tool  should  be  one  of 
the  best,  and  though  expensive,  the  price  is  not  excessive 
when  the  amount  of  elaborate  work  on  it  is  considered. 
The  attachments  to  the  tool  are  quite  as  expensive  as  the 
tool  itself. 

This  tool  may  be  described  as  simply  a  milling  tool, 
consisting  of  two  lathes — one  with  a  live  mandrel,  the 
other  to  hold  the  work  in  dead-centers.  The  cutters  that 
do  the  work  are  set  true  on  the  live  mandrel,  which  runs 
in  a  head-stock  capable  of  a  vertical  adjustment,  while 
the  dead-center  lathe  is  based  on  a  dovetail  admitting  of 
an  end  motion,  regulated  by  a  fine  screw  feed;  thus  the 
live  spindle  remains  always  in  the  same  vertical  line,  and 
therefore  an  index  may  be  used  to  get  the  wheel  held  by 
the  dead-centers  exactly  true  with  the  line  of  vertical 
motion  of  the  live  mandrel. 


WATCH  REPAIRING.  3 1 

As  in  all  tools,  the  cutter  is  above  the  work,  and  the 
correct  diameter  is  obtained  by  stop  screws  resting  on 
steel  bearings,  and  which  may  be  used  to  graduate  to  any 
size,  from  the  smallest  ’scape-wheel  up  to  the  largest 
barrel  or  main  wheel.  There  accompany  the  tool,  five 
different  arbors,  with  ten  different  centers,  two  of  which 
are  conical;  the  others  are  hollow,  with  a  traverse  hole  to 
enable  the  workman  to  not  only  clean  the  center,  but  to 
oil  the  pivot  from  the  end.  There  is  one  very  beautiful 
application  of  the  screw  principle  that  will  strike  every 
one  who  sees  the  instrument.  The  saw,  or  cutter,  which 


Diagram  5. 


is  intended  to  round  up  the  teeth,  is  made  with  a  segment 
cut  out  of  the  periphery,  as  shown  in  the  diagram;  being 
placed  on  the  live  arbor,  the  saw  is  held  in  its  place  by  a 
follower  or  washer,  on  which  is  a  steel  plate;  this  plate 
is  cut  away  a  slight  distance  from  the  edge,  on  two  sides 
of  a  narrow  neck,  which  is  left  by  the  under  cut,  as  is 
shown  in  the  small  figure;  directly  back  of  these  two 
horns,  thus  formed,  there  are  two  screws  at  A  and  B 
respectively,  coming  through  the  back  of  the  brass 
washer  on  which  this  steel  plate  is  screwed,  the  points  of 
which  take  the  two  horns  at  the  back.  It  is  evident  that 


32 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


if  one  of  the  screws  is  put  in  farther  than  the  other,  the 
neck  will  be  twisted,  and  the  edge  of  the  plate  stand  at 
an  angle  to  the  plane  of  rotation.  Now,  if  the  corner 
represented  at  A  is  in  advance  just  one  tooth,  it  is  evident 
that  at  every  revolution  the  wheel  will  be  rotated  by  just 
that  much,  so  that  the  workman  having  the  job  in  hand, 
after  adjusting  for  size,  may  go  on  without  once  touching 
the  wheel. 

This  process,  as  a  matter  of  course,  is  not  perfect  as  a 
matter  of  correct  division,  unless  the  teeth  of  the  wheel 
were  correctly  divided  in  the  first  instance,  for  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  whole  element  of  truth  has  been  determined 
in  the  first  division  of  the  wheel  teeth.  The  vacant  space 
left  in  the  cutter’s  edge  enables  the  steel  plate  to  be  varied 
to  any  angle;  and  thus,  whatever  the  size  of  the  wheel, 
or  pitch  of  the  tooth,  the  instrument  will  operate  equally 
well. 

There  are  many  little  appliances  that  can  be  added  to 
the  bench,  that  may  be  made  by  the  workman  at  a  trifling 
expense  of  time  and  money;  thus  it  once  in  a  while  hap¬ 
pens  that  in  repairing  a  Swiss  watch,  the  workman  often 
damages  the  hair-spring  in  taking  out  the  stud,  which 
almost  invariably  is  put  in  with  a  pinch  joint.  Any  watch¬ 
maker  can  make  a  simple  instrument  to  effect  the  removal 
of  the  stud,  without  danger  of  injury  to  the  hair-spring. 
Take  a  common  pair  of  tweezers,  and  cutting  off  one 
end,  the  other  is  to  be  heated  and  turned  down,  and  then 
filed  up  in  the  form  of  a  pivot;  the  pivot  thus  formed 
should  come  inside  the  short  end,  which  in  its  turn  is  filed 
with  a  notch  to  almost  straddle  the  stud.  The  use  is 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


35 


obvious;  placing  the  short  end  under  the  cock,  a  slight 
pressure  drives  the  stud  out  without  any  risk  of  injury  to 
the  spring. 

It  sometimes  (indeed  very  often)  will  be  noticed  that  in 
some  classes  of  the  Swiss  watch  the  regulator  is  bound 
down  entirely  too  tight  by  the  steel  cap  that  holds  both 
the  end  stone  and  regulator.  The  fault  can  be  remedied 
only  by  taking  off  a  slight  amount  of  the  outside  bevel  of 
the  cap,  or  opening  the  regulator.  The  first  process  is 
much  the  easier,  and  can  be  effected  by  very  simple 
means.  If  the  workman  will  take  a  pair  of  common  pin¬ 
ion  calipers,  and  file  down  the  points  small  enough  to 
enter  the  screw  holes,  he  has  a  certain  means  of  holding 
the  steel  cap,  and  can  then  reduce  its  diameter  enough 
to  free  the  regulator. 

Such  little  adjuncts  to  the  watch  bench  save  time,  and 
enable  the  workman  to  do  better  work,  and  that  in  a  more 
wormanlike  manner.  For  instance,  a  pair  of  old  cutting 
plyers  may  be  transformed  into  a  useful  tool  by  drawing 
the  temper  and  filing  in  the  jaws  a  series  of  small  angular 

notches  of  different  sizes;  these  will  be  found  useful  in 

\ 

taking  off  a  roller  without  any  risk  of  bending  the  staff, 
as  the  jaws  will  meet  while  the  staff  is  perfectly  free 
in  the  notch. 

The  repairer  in  a  large  city  need  not  have  a  cutting 
engine,  as  the  material  shops  are  well  supplied  with  every 
sized  wheel  required;  but  it  will  often  occur  that  in  case 
of  a  main  wheel  too  much  broken  in  regard  to  the  teeth, 
no  counterpart  can  be  found  by  the  watchmaker  whose 
stock  of  material  is  limited,  and  this  holds  true  of  all  other 


3 


34 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


wheels.  If,  then,  he  resides  remote  from  the  general 
centers  of  trade,  he  cannot  do  the  necessary  repairs,  and 
is  compelled  to  send  the  work  off  to  the  city.  Now,  no 
repairer  should  be  without  good  tools,  as  the  cost  bears 
a  very  small  proportion  to  the  advantages  to  be  derived. 
This  applies  more  particularly  to  the  repairer  located  in  a 
village  remote  from  the  great  centers  of  trade.  He  is 
limited  in  his  facilities,  while  a  workman  in  Chicago  or 
New  York  City  can  always  find  an  egress  from  his 
difficulties  by  sending  his  work  out  to  some  one  who 
makes  the  particular  job  a  specialty. 

As  an  example,  I  received  recently,  a  nickel  barrel 
with  at  least  ten  teeth  out  of  the  main  wheel.  The  barrel 
was  beautifully  grained  on  top,  and  the  party  sending  it 
despaired  of  getting  the  finish  as  much  as  he  did  of  mak¬ 
ing  a  new  one,  even  without  the  graining.  We  think 
that  this  repairer  would  have  been  in  a  much  better  con¬ 
dition  had  he  possessed  the  means  of  turning  up  the 
barrel,  cutting  the  teeth,  then  rounding  them  up,  and  after¬ 
wards  graining  the  top  by  a  very  simple  tool,  which  I 
shall  describe  in  my  next  chapter. 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


35 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REPLACING  BROKEN  TEETH.  GRAINING.  POLISHING 

BLOCKS. 


IT  behooves  the  workman  at  the  bench  to  do  his  repairs 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  watch  will  not  only  run 

well,  but  that  all  the  new  work  put  in  may  be  equal  to  the 
original.  We  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter  the  case 
of  a  nickel  barrel  grained  on  the  top.  Suppose  that 
the  repairer  meets  with  a  case  where  only  one  tooth  of 
the  main  wheel  is  broken,  and  he  is  to  replace  the  lost 
tooth.  If  he  chooses  he  may  drill  for  a  bearing,  and 
as  the  bottom  of  the  tooth  is  on  a  level  with  the  barrel, 
he  has  but  little  trouble  in  planting  his  center  for  drill¬ 
ing;  and,  what  is  better,  the  hole  may  be  planted  below 
the  center  of  the  teeth,  and  thus  a  larger  neck  be  given 
to  the  blank.  As  a  matter  of  course,  if  the  operator 
succeeds  in  getting  the  neck  of  the  blank  just  right  to 
make  it  level  with  the  top  of  the  barrel,  but  little  trouble 
occurs  afterwards;  if,  however,  the  blank  comes  above 
the  top,  it  has  to  be  reduced  to  the  general  level,  and  here 
comes  a  difficulty  that,  to  most  workmen,  is  rather  formid¬ 
able;  for  if  he  files  off  the  surplus  stock  he  is  very  liable 


3^ 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


to  mark  the  top  of  the  barrel,  and  thus  destroy  the  whole 
beauty  of  the  work,  however  well  it  may  have  been  done 
in  other  respects.  If  he  stones  off  the  surface,  he  is  in 
trouble,  as  the  work  would  not  correspond  to  the  rest  of 
the  movement,  and  if,  as  in  the  case  cited,  the  top  of 
the  barrel  is  grained,  the  difficulty  is  still  greater;  for 
though  the  repairer  may  have  a  battery,  and  a  full  knowl¬ 
edge  of  gilding,  in  this  case  very  few  are  posted  as  to 
the  tools  and  process  used  and  followed,  in  order  to  obtain 
the  beautiful  grained  surface  that  obtains  so  universally 
in  the  nickel  movements. 

This  graining  is  not  confined  to  the  nickel  movements, 
but  is  extensively  used  in  brass  work  of  fine  marine 
chronometers,  as  well  as  clocks;  and  as  it  replaces,  or 
rather  answers  the  purpose  of  gilding,  it  is  worthy  the 
minuteness  of  description  we  propose  to  give.  Every 
workman  that  has  used  the  ordinary  Scotch  and  blue 
stone  well  knows  that  he  can  produce  a  surface  with 
either,  showing  nearly  straight  or  circular  lines;  but  it 
has  a  cloudy  look,  arising  from  the  irregularity  of  the 
strokes,  and  the  uneven  distribution  of  the  lines.  Now, 
if  the  lines  could  be  made  perfectly  straight,  and  what  is 
more,  evenly  divided,  as  in  any  straight  line  ruling,  the 
effect  would  be  a  clear,  even  surface,  perfectly  uniform 
in  appearance.  But,  except  in  particular  cases,  the  straight 
line  work  is  not  desired,  and  we  will  now  come  to  the 
circular.  If  the  lines,  as  made  by  the  stone  or  other 
abrasive  material,  cross  each  other  at  uncertain  intervals, 
the  same  cloudy  surface,  before  spoken  of,  is  produced. 
It  is  obvious,  then,  that  to  get  the  full  beautiful  effect  of 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


37 


the  stoning,  it  is  necessary  that  some  regular  system  of 
motion  shall  be  observed  in  order  to  get  the  pleasing 
effect  that  is  observed  on  the  stop  plate  of  an  English 
fusee.  The  regularity  of  the  lines  give  a  faint  idea  of 
engine-turned  work,  as  the  principle  involved  in  doing 
the  work  on  steel,  brass,  or  nickel.  We  shall  select  for 
the  illustration  the  snail-formed  piece  on  the  top  of  the 
fusee,  and  which  serves  to  make  the  stop. 


Diagram  6. 


If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the  diagram,  he  will  find  a 
tool  to  be  applied  to  the  lathe  that  will  answer  our  pur¬ 
pose  of  illustration.  The  swing  rest  to  which  we  refer 
is  so  well  exemplified  in  the  diagram  that  a  description  is 
not  necessary.  Let  B  represent  the  geometrical  centre 
of  the  lathe  mandrel  and  E  the  rest  and  hub,  for  the 
reception  of  the  ordinary  T,  in  place  of  which,  in  the  new 
arrangement,  a  T  with  two  centres  is  substituted,  as  will 


38 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


be  seen  by  reference  to  A;  the  swing,  C,  may  be  of  any 
dimensions  that  the  lathe  is  capable  of  taking,  for  in  every 
case  the  centre,  B,  and  its  height  above  the  lathe-bed 
will  be  the  point  of  departure;  the  stop  screw,  D,  enables 
the  workman  to  bring  the  polisher,  P,  as  near  as  he 
chooses  to  the  centre,  B.  The  small  arbor  on  which  the 
pulley  and  polisher,  P,  are  hung,  is  parallel,  and  passes 
through  straight  bearings,  so  as  to  be  capable  of  an  end 
motion,  in  order  to  polish.  Suppose,  then,  that  we  take 
the  grinder  from  the  spindle  of  the  swing  rest  and  re¬ 
place  it  by  another,  the  face  of  which  is  so  cut  away  as 
to  leave  but  a  narrow  surface  to  come  in  contact  for 
grinding  purposes.  The  cuts  we  give  will  enable  any 

one  to  make  his  own  tools  for  the 
purpose,  and  to  do  the  work.  If  we 
take  the  ordinary  lathe,  and  on  the 
swing  place  a  cylinder  whose  action 
is  represented  thus,  it  will  be  apparent 
that  the  plate  to  be  grained  will  come 
in  contact  in  the  same  places  with  the 
grinder,  exactly  in  proportion  to  the  relative  speed  of 
the  two;  and  if  the  belts  are  tight,  there  will  be  but  too 
little  variations  in  the  markings.  The  grained  marks 
will  be  narrow  at  the  center  and  wide  at  the  periphery, 
because  the  motion  of  the  periphery  is  much  greater  than 
at  the  centers,  and  thus  any  point  there  will  have  moved 
under  the  grinder  a  greater  distance  during  any  one 
revolution;  it  thus  happens  that  the  graining  presents 
curved  radial  lines  gradually  increasing  in  width  until 
they  reach  the  edge  of  the  olate  or  article  under  operation. 


Diagram  7. 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


39 


The  grinder,  as  represented  in  the  cut,  is  put  on 

the  end  of  the  mandrel  of  the  swing  on  the  rest,  and 
* 

used  the  same  as  though  it  was  intended  to  face  up  a 
pinion.  If  the  face  of  the  raised  edge  of  the  grinder 
is  slightly  bevelled,  it  may  be  set  at  an  angle  to  the 
work,  which  must  revolve  much  slower  than  the 
grinder. 

For  steel  work,  oil-stone  powder  is  used  with  oil,  and 
tripoli  with  water  for  both  brass  and  nickel.  The  beau¬ 
tiful  mottled  surface  often  seen  in  some  work  on  the 
surface  of  the  plate  is  produced  by  using  a  grinder  in 
a  lathe  of  the  diameter  of  the  intended  mark.  Now,  if 
the  grinder  having  been  made  to  make  one  circle, 
is  so  placed  on  the  plate  that  the  next  circle  shall  overlap 
the  first,  there  will  be  an  intermingling  of  the  lines  at 
the  points  of  intersection.  When  the  next  circle  inter¬ 
sects  with  both  of  those  previously  made,  the  effect  is 
to  leave  a  small  space  not  marked  by  the  grinder,  while 
the  commingling  of  the  lines  will  give  the  clouded  sur¬ 
face,  by  the  contrast.  All  this  work  on  the  plates  may 
be  performed  with  a  drill  bow  and  stock,  though  the 
work  cannot  be  so  uniform  or  good  when  done.  In 
some  clocks  the  stoning  is  done  entirely  by  hand,  and 
is  subject  to  the  caprice  of  the  workman;  as  a  matter 
of  course,  the  work  never  presents  the  elegant 
appearance  of  that  performed  by  the  aid  of  the  lathe, 
with  a  rest  capable  of  holding  the  plate,  and  of  being 
moved  in  relation  to  the  grinder  a  definite  distance,  at 
will.  This  makes  the  surface  appear  very  nearly  as 
though  it  had  been  made  by  the  aid  of  the  rose 


4° 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


engine  lathe.  The  abrasive  material  used  must  be 
determined  by  the  nature  of  the  metals,  both  of  the 
object  and  the  grinder. 

We  have  extended  this  subject  so  far  in  order  to  show 
the  beginner  that  he  may  just  as  well  do  the  work 
thoroughly  as  to  do  it  in  a  shabby  manner,  leaving  the 
general  appearance  inferior  to  the  rest  of  the  watch.  In 
case  the  barrel  should  be  gilded,  it  is  an  easy  matter  for 
the  repairer  to  restore  its  surface,  when  injured  from 
careless  filing,  or  more  reprehensibly,  has  become  so 
through  energetic  scrubbing  with  the  brush  and  chalk. 
This  sort  of  work,  however,  requires  the  use  of  a  galvanic 
battery. 

As  we  have  taken  the  case  of  a  broken  tooth  in  the 
main  wheel,  we  will  carry  out  the  subject  by  taking  up  a 
case  of  a  broken  tooth  in  the  center  wheel.  Here  the 
thinness  of  the  stock  in  a  great  measure  precludes  the 
drill.  In  the  English  and  American  watches,  where  they 
are  full  plate,  the  center  wheel  is  always  out  of  sight,  and 
should  a  broken  tooth  occur  it  may  be  replaced  very 
readily  by  filing  out  a  small  dovetail  and  fitting  in  it  a 
piece  of  brass,  just  a  trifle  thicker  than  the  thickness  of 
the  web  of  the  wheel.  If,  now,  the  edges  of  the  dove¬ 
tailed  recess  are  slightly  chamfered,  it  will  be  obvious 
that  a  very  slight  blow  of  the  hammer,  the  wheel  being 
on  a  smooth  stake,  will  rivet  the  false  tooth  in  so  that 
no  solder  will  be  required,  though  the  web  will  be  much 
stronger  if  the  piece  is  soft  soldered  in,  using  the  very 
smallest  quantity  of  the  solder  that  will  answer  to  just 
flow  the  joints,  and  nothing  more.  If  the  workman 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


41 


desires  to  do  good  work  he  will  put  the  wheel  on  its 
centers  and  file  down  the  piece  of  blank  metal  until  it 
corresponds  with  the  general  circumference  of  the  wheel; 
then  with  his  equalizing  and  rounding  up  files  he  can 
make  a  perfect  substitute  for  the  lost  dental.  But  now 
comes  up  the  question  of  finishing  the  faces  of  the  wheel, 
or  rather  getting  the  newly  placed  tooth  exactly  equal  in 
thickness  to  the  wheel. 

The  repairer  must  not  suppose  that  he  can  carelessly 
rivet  the  blank  in;  for  if  he  uses  too  much  force  he  may 
stretch  the  web  of  the  wheel,  and  render  the  depth  at  that 
part  of  the  periphery  defective,  not  only  as  to  the  new 
tooth,  but  for  a  number  of  teeth  each  side  of  the  inserted 
one.  If  he  has  filed  the  dovetail  with  the  large  side  up, 
so  as  to  make  the  piece  slip  in  almost  level  with  the  sur¬ 
face,  he  will  find  very  little  trouble  in  reducing  it  to  a 
common  level.  Here,  however,  comes  in  another  trouble; 
for  if  he  files  the  tooth  level,  he  must  mar  the  surface  of 
the  rest  of  the  web.  This  would  be  of  but  little  conse¬ 
quence  in  a  full  plate;  but  if,  as  is  the  case  in  a  three-quar¬ 
ter  plate,  the  wheel  is  exposed,  the  job  would  be  a  botch. 
Now,  it  so  happens  that,  the  web  being  thin,  the  dove¬ 
tail  must  be  made  more  shallow,  and  solder  is  inadmissible. 

In  the  Swiss  watch,  where  the  wheel  is  exposed,  the 
tooth  that  replaces  the  broken  one  must  be  brought  down 
Vo  the  general  level,  and  it  will  be  plain  that  the  upper 
face  must  be  finished  off  after  the  piece  is  riveted  in.  If 
the  file  alone  is  resorted  to,  the  marks  of  the  file  teeth 
will  show  in  strong  contrast  to  the  general  finish  of  the 
watch.  The  majority  of  the  three-quarter  plate  watches 


42 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


have  hollow  centre  pinions,  so  that  the  length  of  the  pivot 
of  the  pinion  is  but  the  thickness  of  the  plate  or  bridge  to 
which  it  belongs.  Now,  if,  after  having  set  in  the  tooth 
the  repairer  will  take  the  pains  to  make  a  small  lap  for 
his  lathe,  or,  in  case  he  has  no  lathe,  will  make  a  polish¬ 
ing  block  (which  we  are  about  to  describe),  he  can,  after 
putting  in  the  piece  that  serves  for  the  tooth,  finish  up  the 
job  so  that  no  one  can  detect  the  replacement  except  with 
a  strong  glass. 

The  first  supposition  is  that  he  has  a  lathe:  Then  the 
workman  can  make  a  type  metal  chuck,  fitted  to  the  man¬ 
drel  perfectly  true,  but  recessed  enough  in  the  centre  to 
give  play  for  the  pivot  in  order  to  allow  the  wheel  face 
to  lie  flat,  and  at  the  same  time  a  slight  lateral  motion  can 
be  given.  Having  first  made  sure  that  the  new  tooth  is 
securely  fastened,  the  sides  are  filed  down  enough  to  per¬ 
mit  of  stoning  off  until  no  appearance  of  repair  exists* 
and  this  too  without  driving  the  wheel  off  the  pinion. 
The  pinion  may  then  be  pressed  into  a  piece  of  cork,  and 
this  will  leave  the  face  side  out;  the  type  metal  chuck, 
having  been  faced  true,  is  to  be  scratched  on  its  grinding 
or  polishing  face  with  a  somewhat  coarse  file,  taking  care 
not  to  file  enough  to  alter  the  general  truth  of  its  plane: 
the  wheel  is  applied  by  means  of  the  cork,  and  by  the 
use  of  at  first  rotten  stone  succeeded  by  rouge,  the  whole 
face  may  be  brought  up  to  its  original  condition.  It  must 
be  observed  that  the  end  of  the  cork  should  be  cut  as  truly 
flat  as  possible,  and  the  recess,  cut  out  to  receive  the  pin¬ 
ion,  may  and  should  be  large  enough  to  insure  perfect 
contact  with  the  wheel  surface  and  cork. 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


43 


If  no  lathe  is  at  hand  the  same  effect  may  be  produced 
by  using  a  block  of  type  metal,  and  after  drilling  a  hole 
about  two  diameters  larger  than  the  pivot,  facing  it  with 


was  in  the  lathe.  The  scratches,  or  rather  the  marks, 
should  not  be  in  one  direction,  but  should  be  made  by 
circular  as  well  as  straight  motions  of  the  file;  this  will 
give  a  patched  surface  to  the  grinding  block.  The  cork 
should  not,  for  the  hand  work,  be  long,  as  the  end  of  the 
finger  is  to  be  applied  to  produce  the  required  motion  for 
polishing. 

If  the  wheel  is  not  on  the  pinion  the  case  becomes  more 
simple,  as  the  glass  plates  can  be  used  to  advantage. 
This  method  applies  to  all  the  wheels  whose  surface  it  is 
desirable  to  polish,  and  by  the  use  of  the  glass  and  rouge 
a  finish  can  be  obtained  equal  to  the  original  work.  A 
very  reprehensible  manner  of  finishing  the  train  is  the 
practice  of  dipping  the  wheel  in  acid  and  then  gilding; 
the  matted  surface  is  all  that  is  gained,  but  the  surface  of 
the  teeth  is  injured  by  the  action  of  the  acid. 

The  beautiful  gloss  obtained  on  Swiss  wheel  work  is 
certainly  preferable  to  the  ordinary  matted  and  gilded 
wheel.  Aside  from  the  superiority  of  finish,  the  corners 
are  all  left  perfectly  sharp,  and  the  teeth  are  in  the  same 
condition  as  when  the  wheel  was  taken  from  the  cutting- 
engine  or  rounding-up  tool.  The  finish  is  so  easily  got 
that  no  repairer  can  be  excused  for  neglecting,  in  replac¬ 
ing  broken  work,  to  make  the  quality  of  the  surface  quite 
as  good  as  the  original,  We  would  like  to  impress  on 
the  apprentice  or  the  young  workman,  that  next  to 


44 


WATCII  REPAIRING. 


getting  time,  his  object  should  be  to  so  do  the  repairs 
that  they  cannot  be  discovered.  He  will  not  only  please 
his  customer,  but  render  his  trade  a  source  of  pleasure 
and  pride. 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


45 


CHAPTER  V. 

POLISHING  STEEL  WORK.  POLISHING  PIVOTS. 
SUPERIORITY  OF  CONICAL  PIVOTS. 


WE,  in  speaking  to  the  apprentice,  will  endeavor  to 
be  as  explicit  as  possible,  and  can  only  urge  upon 
him  the  necesssity  there  is  for  his  using  his  own  reasoning 
powers;  true  it  is,  that  a  mechanical  fact  cannot  be  altered 
by  any  amount  of  logic,  but  we  wish  to  urge  the  beginner 
to  reason  on  the  application  of  any  well  developed  and 
ascertained  mechanical  fact;  and  as  we  are  writing  for 
those  just  starting  to  learn  the  watch-repairing  trade,  we 
shall  not  make  any  apologies  for  going  into  detail. 

Suppose,  for  instance,  we  have  so  far  progressed  that 
we  are  enabled  to  get  a  fine  polish  on  brass;  our  very 
next  effort  should  be  to  try  our  skill  on  the  steel  works. 
The  method  of  this  may  be  varied  according  to  the  cir¬ 
cumstances;  the  surface  having  something  to  do  with  the 
way  by  which  the  finish  is  effected.  In  the  first  place,  a 
few  strips  of  bell  metal,  copper  and  tin  are  really  use¬ 
ful,  though  not  indispensable.  If  a  perfectly  dead  flat  is  to 
be  attained,  such  as  the  click,  or  the  strap  over  the  ratchet 
in  a  Swiss  watch,  the  strip  of  bell  metal  should  be  wide 


46 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


enough  to  allow  of  motion  in  every  direction,  and  the  sur¬ 
face  must  be  roughened  by  a  file,  the  file  marks  to  be  at 
right  angles  to  the  length;  or  the  surface  may  be  made 
by  circular  strokes  of  the  file ;  while  this  last  will  not  grind 
down  very  rapidly,  it  enables  the  operator  to  get  a  much 
truer  result  and  finer  finish,  and  we  may  state  that  very 
rapid  grinding  is  always  more  liable  to  destroy  the  truth 
of  the  surface  than  a  medium  rate;  though  this  must  be 
taken  with  some  grains  of  allowance,  for  long  continued 
abrasion  will  be  worse  than  a  quicker  process. 

The  surface  of  the  polisher  should  be  made  as  truly  flat 
as  possible.  These  metal  polishers  are  sold  by  all  the 
material  dealers,  and  can  be  got  of  almost  any  size  or 
shape.  The  case  becomes  different  when  a  hollow  coni¬ 
cal  or  spherical  concave  surface  is  to  be  operated  on. 
Here  the  lathe  is  an  all-important  tool,  for  the  work  may 
be  set  up  on  the  chuck  and  leave  the  surface  perfectly  free 
to  be  acted  on.  Thus,  suppose  we  need  to  re-polish  the 
concave  surface  of  the  steel  disk  that  usually  is  on  the 
fuzee  arbor,  we  may  chuck  the  work,  either  by  the  center 
or  outside;  if  we  now  take  a  piece  of  the  bell-metal,  and 
round  up  the  end  to  about  the  convex  required  to  fit  the 
concave,  we  may  in  a  very  few  moments  get  a  polish 
equal  to  the  original.  It  does  not  require  that  the  bell 
metal  should  be  absolutely  necessary,  for  a  small  cylinder 
of  type  metal  may  be  used;  and  we  would  here  state  that 
the  cylinder  should  be  short,  so  that  the  vibratory  motion 
may  be  more  easily  obtained.  If  now  we  have  chucked 
the  piece;  we  first  use  the  rounded  end,  with  a  little  oil¬ 
stone  powder  and  oil,  the  process  being  precisely  that  of 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


47 


polishing  the  concave  of  a  jewel;  the  same  motions  of  the 
polisher  must  be  made,  and  from  the  getting  of  the  first 
surface  the  abrasive  powders  used  must  be  increased  in 
fineness  until  the  final  polish  is  achieved. 

The  lathe  here  gives  the  workman  the  additional 
advantage  that  he  can  polish  up  the  outside  as  well  with¬ 
out  removing  the  work  from  the  chuck.  The  same 
means  cannot  be  used  when  a  bevelled  surface  is  to  be 
polished,  for  the  reason  that  if  a  cone  were  to  be  used  the 
result  would  be  to  create  rings  on  the  surface;  so  it  is 
necessary  to  use  a  polisher  on  the  same  principle  as  the 
opener  in  jeweling.  The  polisher  may  be  of  composi¬ 
tion,  or  even,  if  the  steel  is  well-tempered,  a  piece  of  soft 
iron  may  be  used  for  the  grinder,  and  type  metal  or  lead 
for  the  polishers.  In  all  cases  the  primary  surface  is  got 
by  the  use  of  either  oil-stone  powder  or  diamantine;  and 
in  using  the  latter,  if  the  operator  would  float  it  off  the 
same  as  diamond  powder,  he  could  succeed  in  getting  a 
very  good  final  polish.  The  outside  edges  are  finished  in 
the  same  manner,  the  grinders  and  polishers  being  formed 
into  the  shapes  best  suited  for  the  work. 

All  this  relates  entirely  to  finishing  of  surfaces; 
and  where  the  steel  work  of  a  movement  has  become 
dull  and  rusted,  the  repairer  cannot  gain  a  better 
reputation  for  thorough  and  careful  work,  than  by 
restoring  the  surfaces  and  skilfully  bluing  whatever 
requires  color.  Although  this  course  would  consume 
time,  it  would  amply  repay  in  the  end.  We  mentioned 
a  mode  of  spreading  the  web  of  a  wheel;  since  then 
we  have  seen  a  tool  that  is  designed  expressly  for  this 


48 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


purpose,  and  a  description  of  it  will  not  be  out  of 
place,  as  the  tool  is  a  perfect  success.  Imagine  a 
common  depthing  tool  with  one  of  the  heads  made  large 
enough  to  take  in  a  small  stake,  the  other  head  on  the 
same  side  being  fitted  for  any  punch  or  spreading  tool ; 
the  other  side  of  the  tool  is  fitted  with  the  ordinary  two 
centres  that  take  in  the  wheel  on  its  pinion.  The  use  is 
simple;  the  wheel  is  swung  between  the  centers  and 
brought  down  so  that  the  web  may  rest  firmly  on- the 
stake;  by  the  use  of  the  opening  screw  the  centre  of  the 
web  may  be  brought  directly  under  the  punch.  Now,  by 
turning  the  wheel  around  with  the  punch  for  the  index,  or 
another  centre  in  its  place,  the  exact  spot  where  the 
spread  should  be  made  can  be  perfectly  defined.  There 
is  a  flange  at  the  bottom  of  the  head  that  holds  the  die  or 
stake  that  can  be  held  in  the  vise,  and  the  stake  thus 
becomes  solid.  The  tool  is  one  that  we  should  strive  to 
get  were  we  at  the  bench. 

We  do  not  suppose  that  any  difficulty  would  be 
met  with  in  converting  it  into  a  staking  tool,  the  only 
change  to  be  made  being  to  remove  the  stake  and 
furnish  dies  with  hollow  punches;  and  the  assortment 
might  run  through  a  large  range,  for  the  hollow 
punches  might  be  made  from  Stubb’s  wire  of  just 
or  very  nearly  the  size  of  the  hole  in  the  head 
opposite  to  the  die.  There  would  be  but  little  trouble, 
as  the  holes  in  the  heads  are  in  the  same  straight  line. 
The  value  of  the  instrument  is  great,  for  the  workman 
can  ascertain  the  faults  of  the  wheel,  while  he  is 
bringing  the  part  to  be  spread  absolutely  true  under  the 


WATCH  REPAIRING.  49 

punch.  We  have  taken  some  little  space  to  give  an 
idea  of  the  tool,  for  we  think  it  is  the  most  complete 
one  we  ever  saw. 

Another  important  point  in  watch-repairing  is  to  ascer¬ 
tain  that  the  pivots  are  sufficiently  well  polished,  and, 
what  is  of  equal  importance,  that  they  are  round.  There 
is  a  style  of  polishing  the  pivots  by  means  of  a  burnishing 
file;  this  cannot  be  too  severely  condemned,  for  the  bur¬ 
nisher  will  not  leave  the  pivot  round,  as  the  pressure  will 
not  be  equal  at  all  points  of  the  revolution  when  the  pivot 
is  turned  with  a  bow;  again,  this  burnishing  file  does  not 
leave  the  shoulder  of  the  staff  or  pinion  in  a  fit  condition 
to  meet  the  amount  of  friction,  however  slight,  that  will 
occur  when  the  shoulder  rests  against  the  jewel  or  plate. 
It  can  easily  be  seen  that  the  edge  of  the  file  must  have 
a  shaving  effect  on  the  shoulder  unless  the  corner  of  the 
file  were  rounded  off;  and  this  would  leave  the  shoulder 
of  a  curved  form  that  in  the  ordinary  pivot  is  still  worse, 
for  if  the  side  shake  for  the  pivot  is  correct  when  the  end 
shake  is  equally  divided,  it  will  not  be  correct  should  the 
shoulder  be  forced  by  any  means  up  to  the  hole. 

Now  it  may  perhaps  be  well  to  make  the  remark  that 
the  jewel  holes  are  not  in  all  cases  round;  indeed,  if  one 
is  found  that  is  round,  it  is  the  exception,  except  in  very 
small  holes.  If,  then,  the  pivot  is  not  round  and  the  side 
shake  very  close,  the  merest  tyro  will  at  once  perceive 
that  there  must  be  times  when  the  pivot  will  find  the  low 
spots  in  the  hole.  For  instance,  if  a  triangular  taper  file 
were  introduced  into  a  hole  that  was  truly  round,  the  file 
would  turn  with  the  same  ease  as  a  perfect  cylinder;  but 


4 


5o 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


if  the  hole  is  not  true,  the  corners  of  the  file,  as  it  is 
pressed  into  the  hole,  will  take  the  hollow  spots  and  thus 
prevent  rotation.  This  want  of  truth  in  both  the  hole 
and  pivot  is  of  more  detriment  to  the  good  going  of 
the  watch  than  friction;  for  as  the  pivot  is  in  almost 
every  case  taper,  the  end  being  the  smallest,  any  altera¬ 
tion  then  in  the  end  shake  will  cause  the  pivot  to  enter 
deeper  into  the  hole,  and  the  same  results  follow  as  in 
the  illustration  we  give  of  the  taper  file. 

It  is  for  these  reasons  that  a  conical  pivot,  jewelled  on 
the  ends,  is  so  very  much  superior,  for  it  is  evident  that  all 
the  friction  that  exists  is  due  only  to  the  end  of  the  pivot 
and  the  small  arc  it  touches  on  the  side  of  the  hole.  We 
will  try  to  show  how  the  conical  pivot  is  much  better,  and 
then  will  proceed  with  our  remarks  on  polishing  pivots, 
together  with  the  faces  of  the  pinions. 

The  pivot  is  first  turned  down  to  a  size  that  will  allow 
the  subsequent  operations  to  reduce  it  to  a  proper  degree 
of  side  shake  in  the  hole.  If  the  “turns,”  as  the  English 
watch-maker  calls  them,  are  used,  the  dead  centres  give 
a  degree  of  truth,  not  so  exactly  attainable  where  a  live 
spindle  is  used;  though  even  here  a  very  true  pivot  may 
be  turned  up  if  sufficient  care  is  taken  to  make  the  back 
centre  perfectly  true;  and  the  only  imperfection  that  can 
arise  will  be  due  to  the  slight  inaccuracies  of  the  live  spin¬ 
dle.  The  live  spindle  is  driven  with  a  bow;  on  the  lathe 
bed  a  right  angular  piece  is  so  attached  that  by  loosening 
the  hold-down  screw,  it  can  be  placed  at  any  distance 
from  the  chuck.  This  right  angle  may  be  bored  out  so 
large  in  the  line  of  the  centres  that  bushings  may  be  put 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


51 


in  and  fastened  by  means  of  screws,  and  may  be  drilled 
to  any  size;  and  as  they  must  be  very  thin  in  order  to  let 
the  pivot  project,  they  are  counter-sunk  on  the  back  side. 
This  counter-sink  only  takes  the  bevel,  or  rather  chamfer 
of  the  pivot  shoulder,  and  it  follows  then  that  the  rest  may 
be  brought  up  to  the  work  and  the  pivot  turned  to  the 
desired  size  and  polished  both  on  the  sides  and  end  with¬ 
out  removing  the  work. 

It  is  plain  that  the  pivot  turned  up  and  polished  must  be 
true;  but  we  must  account  for  the  other  center  that  has  got 
to  be  or  ought  to  be  true  when  finished  in  the  same  straight 
line  with  the  axis  of  the  first  pivot.  We  will  assume  that  the 
back  or  center  rest  has  been  removed  from  the  lathe  bed 
and  the  rest  brought  up  to  a  chuck,  in  the  face  of  which 
a  female  center  is  sunk  as  truly  as  possible;  a  dog  is 
screwed  on  the  chuck,  the  end  of  which  may  take  in  the 
leaf  of  the  pinion  or  tooth  of  the  wheel.  The  center  rest 
is  then  brought  up,  and  it  is  evident  that  a  pinion  or  staff 
having  been  placed  in  the  center  made  in  the  chuck  and 
the  hole  in  the  center  rest,  the  common  hand  rest  may  be 
used  for  the  turning  down  the  size,  and  then  the  polish¬ 
ing  may  be  perfected. 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


53 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CUTTING  ENGINE.  TO  CUT  A  ’SCAPE  WHEEL 


HE  preceding  chapters  have  been  devoted  mostly  to 


4  tools,  with  directions  as  to  the  making  of  some,  and 
use  of  others.  We  shall  continue  to  do  so,  for  until  the 
bench  is  well  and  completely  furnished  with  tools  the 
repairer  is  working  to  a  disadvantage,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  time  is  more  valuable  than  the  cost  of  the 
tools;  and  we  will  insist  that  the  apprentice  can  do  more 
with  his  spare  money  if  he  invests  it  in  tools  than  he  can 
if  he  expends  it  on  dress.  With  these  remarks  we  will 
resume  the  question. 

It  often  happens  that,  even  with  a  good  stock  of  mate¬ 
rial  on  hand,  there  may  come  in  a  job  when  the  repairer 
cannot  find  in  his  whole  stock  the  piece  he  wants  to  do 
the  work,  that  is  of  the  right  size,  or,  if  a  wheel,  of  the 
right  pitch  for  the  pinion  into  which  it  depths.  Taking 
the  wheel,  then,  for  example,  what  can  the  workman  do 
without  a  cutting  engine?  We  admit  that  the  occasions 
are  rare  when  the  engine  is  required;  but  they  do  occur, 
and  we  have  seen  many  cases  where  a  new  wheel  has 
been  put  in,  that  the  workman  has  selected  the  nearest  in 
size  and  pitch  he  could  select  out  of  his  stock,  or  possibly 


54 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


out  of  the  trunk  of  the  traveling  material  dealer,  and  yet 
the  train  will  not  move  freely  when  the  wheel  has  been 
put  in,  and  the  customer  and  repairer  are  both  dissat¬ 
isfied. 

The  cutting  engine  is  not  a  very  expensive  tool,  and  if 
there  is  a  lathe  on  the  bench  the  labor  of  cutting  a  wheel 
is  reduced  in  relation  to  the  speed  attained  in  the  cutter. 
The  engine  may  be  placed  just  back  of  the  lathe,  and  a 
second  band  from  the  pulley  on  the  lathe  arbor  may  be 
led  to  the  cutter  arbor  of  the  engine. 

The  most  common  engine  in  this  market  is  the  Swiss, 
of  various  sizes  and  qualities.  Some  are  fitted  for  cutting 
scape-wheels  for  cylinder  escapements;  generally,  how¬ 
ever,  they  are  intended  only  for  plain  work.  The  cutters 
furnished  are  supposed  to  be  suitable  for  the  ordinary 
class  of  work  in  all  its  varieties;  but  the  workman  will 
find  that  there  will  be  occasions  where  they  fail,  and  he 
must  resort  to  others  of  his  own  make,  and  if  he  has  no 
cutter,  or,  as  it  should  be  called,  a  milling  tool,  he  may 
make  an  extra  mandrel  to  the  engine;  to  this  we  will 
refer  again. 

Without  a  description  of  the  ordinary  mode  of  cutting 
wheels  we  would  only  lead  the  reader  astray;  for  in  the 
Swiss  tool  some  little  management  is  required,  for  the 
wheel  to  be  cut  must  be  centered  by  the  hole  that  takes 
the  pinion.  It,  in  many  cases,  happens  that  the  wheel  is 
merely  driven  on  the  pinion  arbor,  while  in  other  cases 
the  wheel  is  staked  on  the  pinion  itself. 

Now  the  cutting  engine  has  a  pump  centre  that  takes 
the  hole,  and  when  the  dividing  plate  is  true  there  will  be 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


55 


no  difficulty  in  cutting  a  good  wheel;  but  in  the  first  place 
it  is  as  well  that  we  should  describe  the  instrument,  not 
in  detail,  but  enough  to  give  the  idea  as  to  the  working. 
The  pump  centre  takes  the  hole  and  the  cutter  arbor  is 
carried  in  a  swing  frame  that  is  brought  up  to  the  central 
arbor  by  means  of  a  screw  feed,  and  the  blank  is  held 
between  two  pieces  of  metal  that  leave  space  enough  for 
the  depth  of  the  tooth.  The  system  of  centreing  is 
essentially  different  from  the  American — not  so  accurate, 
but  far  more  universal  in  application,  as  any  sized  wheel 
may  be  cut.  In  the  American  watch  factories  the  arbors 
that  hold  the  wheels  by  the  inside  of  the  web  are  costly, 
and  can  be  used  for  but  one  size  each;  but  it  is  plain,  how¬ 
ever,  that  the  wheel,  in  this  case,  will  have  a  true  web. 

In  the  common  eugine  the  wheel  is  centered  by  the  hole 
and  held  between  two  surfaces  that  take  the  web;  thus  it 
sometimes  happens  that  the  cut  edge  of  the  wheel  will  be 
out  of  true,  and  where  the  wheel  is  forced  on  the  staffs 
this  would  be  of  importance;  but  the  truth  of  the  center¬ 
ing  becomes  a  matter  of  the  highest  consideration  where 
the  wheel  is  staked  on  the  leaves  of  the  pinion.  As  a 
matter  of  course,  with  the  cutting  arbor  in  a  swing  the 
cut  cannot  be  in  a  perfectly  straight  line,  for  it  must  be 
in  the  curve  which  the  centers  of  the  swing  and  the  per¬ 
iphery  of  the  cutter  will  describe.  As  a  wheel  is  very 
thin,  this  perhaps  is  of  little  account;  but  when  the  main 
wheel  has  to  be  cut  the  error  may  be  serious,  for  there 
will  be  but  two  bearings  on  the  center  pinion  leaves,  and 
it  follows  that  the  points  of  bearings  will  get  worn  down 
in  a  very  short  time,  and  the  depth  will  then  be  wrong. 


56 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


With  the  exception  of  the  main  wheel  the  swing  is  good 
enough,  for  the  small  arc  travelled  by  the  cutter  is  hardly 
an  appreciable  quantity 

There  may  be  occasions  where  the  repairer  is  required 
to  replace  a  cylinder  escapement  wheel  in  consequence  of 
a  broken  tooth.  The  question  then  comes  up,  how  to 
cut  the  wheel  if  he  cannot  find  in  his  stock  a  wheel  of  the 
requisite  size. 

To  afford  the  facilities  to  do  so,  some  of  the  finer  Swiss 
tools  have  an  upright  attachment,  consisting  of  a  small 
lathe-head  with  a  spindle  on  which  is  a  pulley  or  collet; 
the  spindle  is  capable  of  an  up  and  down  motion,  and  the 
lower  end  is  so  bored  out  that  cutters  of  many  differ¬ 
ent  sizes  may  be  inserted  and  run  true.  These  cutters 
differ  entirely  from  the  cutters  for  ordinary  wheel  teeth; 
they  are  cylindrical,  being  in  fact  nothing  but  a  fluted 
reamer,  with  the  lower  end  made  taper  and  terminating 
in  a  drill. 

The  action  of  this  is  obvious;  the  blank  wheel  having 
been  turned  up  and  the  recess  made  to  allow  the  semi¬ 
diameter  of  the  cylinder  to  pass  over  the  bottom  of  the 
recess  perfectly  free,  it  is  placed  on  the  pump  centre  on 
its  seat  on  the  mandrel  and  clamped  down,  and  the  reader 
will  at  once  see  that  on  bringing  the  tool  down  while  in 
motion,  a  milling  operation  takes  place  on  the  inner  side 
of  the  flange,  which  is  the  stock  from  which  the  little 
anchor  shaped  teeth  are  formed.  By  careful  pressure 
and  milling,  a  round  hole  will  be  made  through  the  steel, 
and  on  further  pressing  down  the  cutter  the  hole  will  be 
enlarged  until  it  opens  at  the  edge  of  the  wheel,  and  the 


WATCH  REPAIRING.  57 

opening  is  made  large  enough  to  almost  take  in  the 
greatest  diameter  of  the  cylinder  for  which  the  wheel  is 
intended.  The  index  plate  is  now  turned  ahead  one 
division  on  the  circle  of  fifteen,  and  the  same  process  is 
gone  through  with  in  succession.  As  the  shanks  of  the 
teeth  are  very  weak,  it  is,  in  every  case,  better  to  form 
up  the  impulse  angle  on  the  edges  of  the  teeth  before  the 
milling  out  is  done,  and  the  crossings  should  be  done 
before  the  teeth  are  cut. 

If  the  old  wheel  is  on  hand,  the  repairer  who  has  a  uni¬ 
versal  lathe  may  easily  turn  out  a  gauge  in  a  piece  of 
brass  plate;  the  fitting  should  be  very  accurate,  and  in 
turning  up  the  blank  he  has  a  guide  for  correct  diameter, 
and  so  may  copy  the  old  wheel, 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


59 


CHAPTER  VII. 

REPLACING  BROKEN  ARBORS.  HARDENING  AND  TEMPERING. 


WE  will  now  leave  the  subject  of  the  tools  used  for 
repairing,  and  commence  at  the  prime  motor  work 
of  the  train,  and  this  motor  includes  the  barrel,  arbor, 
rachet,  and  stop  work.  We  will  commence  with  the 
barrel  arbor,  as  this  is  the  centre  of  the  old  system.  There 
are  two  kinds  only  of  this  arbor:  one  where  the  arbor 
and  hub  are  one  solid  piece,  and  another  where  the  hub 
is  a  separate  piece,  and  pinned  or  screwed  on  the  arbor. 
This  last  form  is  adopted  only  where  the  whole  of  the 
barrel  rests  on  and  is  held  by  the  barrel  bridge,  and  the 
ratchet,  which  is  solid  with  the  arbor,  is  sunk  in  a  recess 
in  the  bridge  and  there  held  down  by  a  cap  with  four 
screws.  This  style  is  abominable,  and  should  never  have 
been  used;  but  very  thin  watches  were  in  demand,  and  to 
satisfy  the  market  the  Swiss  makers  sacrificed  much  of 
the  quality  and  durability  of  their  watches.  Aside  from 
the  instability  of  the  main  wheel,  the  ratchet  once  being 
broken,  an  entire  new  arbor  must  be  put  in,  which  involves 
expense  to  the  customer  and  sometimes  great  vexation  to 
the  repairer,  who  finds  that  the  job  has  not  paid  him  for 
his  time,  labor  and  material. 


6o 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


The  question  is,  how  to  replace  one  of  these  arbors 
where  the  ratchet  teeth  are  broken  so  badly  that  no  filing 
can  repair  it.  If  the  repairer  has  a  large  stock  of  arbors 
he  may  find  one  that  has  the  ratchet  of  the  size  of  the 
recess  in  the  barrel  bridge;  the  arbors  are  generally  cen¬ 
tered  pretty  true,  and  the  mode  of  finishing  the  work 
will  depend  entirely  on  the  tools  and  facilities  the  work¬ 
man  possesses.  For  instance,  if  he  has  a  lathe  with  a  back 
centre,  he  may  commence  by  dogging  the  end  that  is  to 
constitute  the  square;  and  putting  the  work  in  the  lathe, 
the  workman  first  faces  off  the  ratchet  on  the  underside, 
at  the  same  time  turning  up  the  shoulder  that  takes  the 
barrel  bridge;  only  some  judgment  is  required  to  leave 
it  large  enough  to  be  polished  to  a  fit.  The  under  sur¬ 
face  of  the  ratchet  should  be  perfectly  flat  and  at  right 
angles  to  the  line  of  centres.  In  grinding  and  polishing 
there  is  apt  to  be  left  a  rounded  corner.  We  have  found 
in  our  experience  that  if  a  very  fine  groove  is  cut  in  the 
corner,  the  grinding  and  polishing  will  bring  the  corner 
perfect. 

We  now  turn  up  the  shoulder  of  the  bridge  bearing 
until  the  barrel  comes  to  just  the  right  point  of  freedom 
from  the  bridge.  It  is  well,  though,  to  leave  a  little  more 
freedom  than  is  wanted,  as  the  bearing  for  the  barrel  is 
yet  to  be  turned,  and  it  may  happen  that  the  shoulder  will 
be  cut  away  in  the  polishing  and  thus  bring  the  barrel  too 
close  to  the  bridge.  Having  polished  this  last  bearing, 
the  barrel,  with  the  bridge,  should  be  tried  by  putting 
them  together  and  screwing  on  the  hub,  and  if  the  work 
is  right  the  barrel  will  be  somewhat  firmly  held  in  a 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


6l 


lateral  direction,  but  be  free  to  rotate;  if,  however,  there 
is  the  lateral  shake  it  shows  that  the  hub,  when  it  butts 
against  the  shoulder  is  too  far  from  the  central  boss  on  the 
inside  face  of  the  barrel.  Of  course  the  shoulder  is  to  be 
turned  up  farther,  and  the  neck  may  be  made  equal  to 
the  bottom  of  the  thread  that  takes  on  the  hub,  and  there 
may  be  a  little  allowance  made,  for  the  arbor  is  strong 
enough  in  this  part. 

Having  satisfied  ourselves  of  the  proper  degree  of  free¬ 
dom  between  the  hub  and  the  shoulder  of  the  part  com¬ 
ing  through  the  bridge,  we  next  pay  attention  to  the 
lower  pivot  that  takes  the  barrel  head;  and  here  we  will 
remark  that  the  shoulder  should  be  so  turned  that  when 
the  head  is  sprung  in  the  barrel  the  hub  should  be  exactly 
in  the  centre  of  the  rotary  plane  of  the  barrel.  If  the 
workman  has  been  successful  in  getting  his  lengths  so 
far,  he  may  reverse  the  arbor  in  the  lathe  and  face  off 
the  upper  side  of  the  ratchet  perfectly  parallel  with 
the  lower  side,  and  of  course,  of  such  a  thickness  that 
when  the  cap  is  screwed  down  there  will  be  an  equal 
bearing  over  all  the  surface  the  ratchet  is  intended  to 
embrace.  As  the  ratchet  and  arbor  do  not  move  except 
when  winding,  the  truth  of  the  two  surfaces  of  the  ratchet 
is  of  more  importance  than  high  finish,  and  there  is  a  sur¬ 
face  below  the  highest  polish  that  will  give  as  good  results 
when  used  on  brass  for  a  horizontal  bearing.  The  upper 
part  of  the  arbor  is  now  turned  down  to  the  proper  size 
for  the  square,  and  the  arbor  is  finished  in  all  except 
length;  as  the  lower  end  is  to  be  squared  to  take  the  stop 
work,  the  metal  may  be  taken  off  smaller  than  the  part 


62 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


that  is  to  form  the  square  for  the  stop,  but  it  will  be  quite 
as  easy  to  square  up  the  whole  length,  and  when  the 
parts  are  put  together,  to  drill  the  hole  for  the  pin  that 
holds  down  the  stop.  To  produce  the  squares  we  refer 
back  to  Chapter  II.,  and  the  only  thing  that  remains  to  be 
done  is  to  cut  off  for  the  length,  and  polishing  the  end  of 
the  square;  the  last  may  be  done  in  various  ways — in  the 
lathe,  or  by  the  burnish  file,  though  in  a  watch  that  has 
any  pretensions  to  quality,  the  repairer  would  or  should 
like  to  finish  the  upper  end  as  finely  as  any  other  part  of 
the  steel-work  in  the  watch. 

It  is  not  necessary,  however,  to  have  a  live  spindle 
lathe,  for  all  the  same  operations  can  be  done  by  a  dead 
centre,  with  a  collet  and  the  bow;  and  perhaps  in  the  pol¬ 
ishing  the  bow  is  the  best,  from  the  frequent  changes  of 
position  insured  by  the  backward  and  forward  motion. 

We  have  now  got  our  arbor  for  this  class,  and  it 
becomes  necessary  to  harden  and  temper;  as  the  arbor  is 
short,  it  will  hardly  warp  in  the  hardening,  but  it  will 
become  necessary  to  take  off  the  thin  film  of  oxide  that 
has  been  formed  in  the  heating.  We  may  confidently 
assert  that  the  whole  may  be  hardened  without  detriment 
to  the  surface,  if,  in  the  first  place,  the  piece  is  carefully 
covered  with  clay,  or  any  other  substance  that  Will  pre¬ 
vent  the  access  of  the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
then  heated  to  the  proper  degree;  on  plunging  in  cold 
water,  the  clay  will  flake  off,  and  the  arbor  will  be  hard, 
with  little  oxidization  of  surface.  Of  course,  too  much 
clay  must  not  be  put  on;  and  again,  the  whole  must  be 
thoroughly  dried  before  it  is  exposed  to  the  heat  for 


WATCH  REPAIRING. 


63 


hardening.  It  is  better  to  do  the  hardening  before  the 
centres  are  cut  off,  for  when  the  work  comes  from  the 
fire,  or  from  under  the  blow-pipe,  a  leaden-blue  will  be 
found  on  all  the  polished  surfaces;  now  polish  some  one 
part  again,  and  draw  the  temper  down  to  the  point  you 
wish.  We  prefer  a  deep  straw  color;  and,  getting  this, 
the  arbor  can  be  put  up  in  the  lathe,  and  b}r  the  use  of  a 
hard  graver  the  ends  may  be  cut  off  after  the  polishing 
has  been  effected. 

If  the  length  and  side  shakes  have  been  made  right, 
the  arbor  is  ready;  but  in  polishing  the  upper  side  of  the 
rachet  it  must  be  observed  that  the  face  of  the  same  must 
come  perfectly  level  with  the  edge  of  the  recess  into 
which  the  cap  that  holds  the  ratchet  drops. 


Afbott's  American  Watchmaker  and  Jeweler.  By  Henry  G.  Abbott.  An 
Encyclopedia  for  the  Horologist,  Jeweler,  Gold  and  Silversmith.  Con 
taining  Hundreds  of  Private  Keceipts  and  Formulas,  Compiled  from 
the  Most  Reliable  Sources.  Complete  Directions  for  Using  all  the 
Latest  Tools,  Attachments  and  Devices  for  Watchmakers  andjewelers. 

Among  other  things  contained  in  this  volume 
may  be  mentioned  a  thorough  explanation  of 
adjustments,  both  to  positions  and  isochronism: 
directions  for  making  all  the  alloys  used  by  a 
watchmaker,  jeweler  and  metalworker;  a  review 
of  all  the  escapements,  their  action,  construction 
and  proportion,  together  with  diagrams  of  each 
escapement;  an  exhaustive  treatise  on  balances, 
their  expansion  and  contraction,  auxiliaries,  sizes 
and  weights  and  direction  for  poising;  the  balance 
staff,  and  full  and  complete  directions  for  mak¬ 
ing  and  replacing  Dew  staffs,  together  with 
_  the  use  of  the  graver  in  turning  and  the  manip¬ 
ulation  of  measuring  instruments;  directions  for  making  twenty 
different  cements  of  great  value  to  the  watchmaker  and  jeweler, 
including  lathe  wax;  directions  for  cleansing,  pickling  and  polishing 
all  kinds  of  metals:  magnetism  and  the  use  of  the  various  demag¬ 
netizes  ;  electro-plating,  bronzing  and  staining  all  metal  eg  gauges  of 
all  kinds,  and  directions  for  using;  soldering  and  directions  for  making 
all  kinds  of  hard  arid  soft  solder  and  fluxes;  steel,  its  treatment  in 
annealing,  hardening,  tempering,  etc.;  watch  cleaning,  repairing, 
etc.;  a  treatise  on  wheels  and  pinions;  directions  for  using  all 
modern  toolsand  appliances;  and  hundreds  of  miscellaneous  receipts, 
formulas  and  hints  on  all  kinds  of  work,  of  great  value  to  every  work¬ 
man.  This  edition  contains  forty-four  pages  more  than  former  edi¬ 
tions,  and  each  page  contains  one-third  more  matter  than  the  pages  of 
former  editions.  A n  alphabetical  list  of  over  five  hundred  European 
watchmakers  who  manufactured  watches  prior  to  1800,  with  years  in 
which  they  carried  on  business,  from  which  the  watchmaker  can  easily 
establish  the  age  of  any  movement  that  a  customer  may  desire  to  know, 
about;  an  alphabetical  list  of  all  books  on  horoiogy  published  in  the 
English  or  French  language,  prior  to  1850;  portraits  and  sketches 
of  all  the  celebrated  watchmakers  of  the  world  from  1600  to  1894.  354 
pages.  Illustrated  with  288  engravings.  Paper  covers,  $125.  Fine 
muslin . ., . . . - . SI  50 


A  Simple  and  Mechanically  Perfect  Watch.  By  Moritz  Grossmann.  A 
Prize  Essay  on  the  Construction  of  a  Simple 
yet  Perfect  Watch.  Written  in  a  masterly  man¬ 
ner  by  one  of  the  greatest  of  Horological  Auth¬ 
ors.  Illustrated  with  many  engravings.  From 
the  standpoint  of  the  practical  man  at  the  bench 
this  is  one  of  the  most  exhaustive  essays  ever 
written  on  the  subject  and  no  practical  work¬ 
man  can  fail  to  appreciate  it.  96  pages.  38 

diagrams.  Paper,  75c.  Fine  muslin  .  *  0§ 

The  Watchmakers’ .Library.  This  book  consists  of 
a  collection  of  the  best  articles  from  tne  various 
trade  journals  of  this  country  and  Europe, 
among  the  authors  being  Moritz  Grossmann,  M. 

Kessels,  Chas.  Spiro,  Chas.  Reiss,  Herman 
Horrman,  P.  M.  Youlen,  M.  Sandpz,  Herman  Grosch,  James  U.  Poole, 

E.  Sordet  and  Vincent  Lauer.  The  papers  are  all  of  a  practical  nature 
and  of  great  value  to  the  practical  watchmaker,  the  whole  forming 

a  volume  of  290  pages  and  index.  In  Paper  Covers . - . - .  1  00 

Prize  Essay  on  the  Balance  Spring  and  its  Technical  Adjustments  (Baroness 
Burdett  Coutt’s  Prize).,  By  M.  Imraisch.  A  description  of  the  inven¬ 
tion  of  the  balance  spring,  its  effect  upon  the  art  of  watchmaking; 
the  effects  of  inertia  of  the  balance;  resistance  of  the  air;  balance 
adjustment  by  means  of  turning  screws  and  washers;  proportions  of 
spring  and  balance;  nature  of  spirals;  lengths  of  balance  vibrations 
and  their  effect  upon  the  timing;  pinning  in  equal  and  unequal  coils; 
the  Breguet  spring;  making  its  curves;  pinning;  regulating  isochronal 
springs,  etc.  Fully  illustrated  with  numerous  engravings  and  dia- 

grams.  Cloth.  Price . . . .  100 

Repairing  Eepeating  Watches.  By  C.  T.  Etchells.  A  practical  treatise 
on  the  subject  and  the  only  one  in  print.  Fully  illustrated.  The  most 
vexations  repairs  that  come  to  the  watchmaker  are  those  on  repeating 
watches — and  yet  they  are  the  most  profitable  if  .you  know  just  how  to 
make  them.  Not  every  watchmaker  can  make  them,  and  that  is  just 
why  they  are  profitable.  Do  you  how?  If  not,  why  not?  Yon  are 
never  too  old  to  learn.  Paper  covers . . - . - . - . .  36 


The  Evolution  of  Automatic  Machinery.  By  E.  A.  Marsh,  Master 
Mechanic,  American  Waltham  Watch  Co.,  Waltham,  Mass.  A  history 
of  automatic  machinery  as  applied  to  the  manufacture  of  watches  in 
the  Waltham  factory.  Full  page  portraits  of  the  great  inventors  of 
automatic  watchmaking  machinery,  and  69  illustrations  of  automatic 
and  other  machines  employed  in  watchmaking.  The  only  work  of  the 
kind  in  print  and  will  be  appreciated  by  every  mechanic.  Printed  on 
enameled  paper  and  bound  in  English  cloth,  with  beveled  boards 
andgilt  top  and  stamps.  Price . - . $2  00 

Wheels  and  Pinions  and  How  to  Determine  Their  Exact  Size.  By  F:  Shouffel- 
berger.  Translated  and  edited  with  additions  by  Theo.  Gribi.  By 
means  of  this  book  you  can  instantly  determine  the  exact  size  of  any 
missing  wheel  or  pinion  in  a  clock,  chronometer,  watch  or  other 
mechanism.  No  figuring  of  any  kind. required.  The  exact  figures  are 
given  in  millimeters  or  fractions,  inches  or  fractions,  or  in  the 
Douzieme  measurement.  No  machinist,  watch,  clock  or  chronometer 
maker  can  afford  to  be  without  it.  Heavy  paper  covers,  50  cents. 

Full  cloth  binding  . .  75 

The  Acme  Optical  Record.  A  cash  book,  ledger  and  record  book  in  one. 

In  it  you  can  keep  a  full  record  of  each  case,  with  the  manner  of  filling 
receipt  and  who  filled  it.  All  the  important  features  of  each  case. 

This  record  will  save  the  optician  a  world  of  trouble,  as  he  is  always 
able  to  refer  back ( to  all  cases  and  does  not  have  to  trust  to  memory. 
B'lled and  printed  on  first  class  paper  and  bound  in  full  cloth.  Page 
8J4xll  inches.  Book  of  100  pages,  $1.25.  Book  of  200  pages . 1  50 

The  Acme  Monogram  Album.  Contains  350  two-letter  monograms  of  the 
most  artistic  character.  Every  letter  in  combination  with  every  other 
letter.  Unlike  the  cheap  works  now  on  the  market,  it  does  notconeist 
of  skeletons,  which  the  engraver  has  to  elaborate  and  fill  in  They  are 
complete  monograms,  ready  to  trace  and  transfer  to  the  article,  and  are 
fitted  for  the  finest  goods.  Mailed  to  any  address  on  receipt  of . 0  25 

Practical  Points  on  the  Deposition  of  Metals.  Is  the  title  of  a  new  work  for 
the  practical  plater  by  J.  H.  Van  Horne.  The  author  knows  the  diffi¬ 
culties  experienced  by  many  in  getting  good,  smooth  deposits  of  gold, 
silver,  nickel,  copper  and  brass  on  their  work.  These_  difficulties  he 
clears  away  with  his  simple  formula  for  making  solutions  and  plain 
directions  for  their  management.  Contents:— Preparation  of  Workfor 
Plating;  Silver  Plating  Baths;  Copper  and  Brass  Baths;  Hold  Plating 
and  Coloring  Baths;  Ormolu  Finishes  and  Dips;  Some  Finishes  for 


Platers;  Green  Bronze  for  Bra«s;  Olive  Green  on  Brass;  Green  on  any 
Metal;  Light  Green  on  Sheet  Zinc;  Matt  Silver  Finish,  Pink  or  Silver. 
Paper  cover,  44  pages,  price.  -c-;.-  — . - . 0  50 

An  Analysis  of  the  Lever  Escapement.  By  H.  R.  Playtner.  The  most 
thorough  bo  k  on  the  subject  ever  produced.  Written  in  a  plain  and 
comprehensive  maimer  and  thoroughly  illustrated.  Cloth  binding, 
gold  side  stamp,  88  pages,  price.--- . r . ►. . - .  0  50 


Friction.  Lubrication  and  the  Lubricants,  in  Horology.  By  W.  T.  Lewis. 

An  exhaustive  work  covering  the  entire  field  of  horology.  Rules  for 
examining  and  determining  the  value  of  watch  and  clock  oils.  The 
Lubricants  in  Horology — Their  Source  and  Methods rof  Refinement. 
Elementary  Physics  Relating  to  Friction  and  Lubrication.  Friction— 

Its  Nature  and  Theory,  \pplication  of  the  Laws  of  Friction  and  Lub¬ 
rication  in  Horology.  The  Properties  and  Relative  Values  of  Lubri¬ 
cants  in  Horology.  96  pages.  Illustrated  with  half-tones  and  draw¬ 
ings  by  the  author.  Bound  in  art  canvas,  $1.00.  Paper  covers . 0  75 


